Where Do You Live?
by DPcrazy
Summary: Before PP.  After Danny fights a ghost, people start to ask him questions.  Unfortunately, one of his answers was wrong.  Some law comes into play and now Danny Phantom is being tossed from family to family, some of which, he would never expect.
1. Chapter 1

**First one off my Summeries list to be created.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, just like everyone else on here.**

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It was the usual kind of day in Amity Park; the sun was shining, birds were singing, and town hero Danny Phantom was fighting off yet another ghost. This time, it was only Skulker, back yet again to hunt Danny. By now, Danny knew almost all of Skulker's flaws and how to defeat him easily. A group of reporters and cameramen gathered around the fight.

Danny blasted an ice ray at Skulker's arm. The metal piece froze and fell off as Danny hit it with a ghost ray.

"You think that you'd learn by now; I will _always_ beat you." Danny bragged.

He fired more ice beams and broke the robotic ghost apart one section at a time. Soon, all that was left was his tiny green form. Danny whipped out the Fenton Thermos and aimed it at the small ghost.

"I will-" Skulker's pathetic claim was interrupted by a bored ghost boy.

"Return? Yeah, heard it before. If you know what's good for you, you _won't_ return." Danny interrupted.

Danny then activated the Fenton Thermos and sucked Skulker-or, what was left of him-inside. The crowd below started cheering and Danny was mobbed by reporters before he could fly off mysteriously like he usually did.

"Danny Phantom, who was that?" Questioned one reporter.

"Skulker." Danny replied quickly before making another attempt to leave.

"Where are you going?" Another one piped up.

"Away." He answered irritably, starting to make his way out of the scene.

"Are you going to the Ghost Zone?" Yet another interrupted.

"No. I hate that place; it's creepy." This was getting extremely annoying. A moment of two later, Danny realized what he had just said. He just told them that he was a _ghost_ who didn't like the _Ghost_ Zone.

"If you don't like the Ghost Zone, then where do you live?"

Gah! Danny wasn't ready for this one.

"I…ummm…bye!" He stuttered before bolting off and out of sight.

His response left the crowd puzzled. One person spoke up.

"Does that mean that he doesn't live anywhere?"

This started a commotion.

"I don't know. It could."

"Just because he didn't tell us doesn't mean he doesn't live anywhere!"

"It would make sense though. Has anyone seen him in just one place?"

"No, but has anyone seen him just flying around?"

"Not really, he's usually in a fight or looking for a ghost."

"Then where does he go?"

Only blank faces were given in response. The ghost kid was a mystery.

Danny arrived back at his house completely panicked. His heart was racing and his mind was screaming.

"How could I be so _stupid_? I just told them that I didn't live in the Ghost Zone! That means that they all _know_ that I live in the human world! It's only a matter of time before search teams are sent to find me." He analyzed angrily to himself.

His train of thought was interrupted by a booming voice.

"Danny! Come down here, I want you to watch this." Jack yelled up to him.

Danny dragged himself down to the living room where his parents were watching a news report on the TV intently.

"Today, Danny Phantom accidentally let on more than he meant to, perhaps revealing more about the mysterious ghost kid. This footage was taken today after a ghost fight with a robotic-like ghost apparently called Skulker." The reporter announced. The screen turned to the events that Danny had just been stuck in the middle of. Here's what played:

Danny was beginning to fly away.

"Where are you going?" A citizen asked.

"Away." He answered irritably, starting to make his way out of the scene.

"Are you going to the Ghost Zone?" Another interrupted.

"No. I hate that place; it's creepy." Danny Phantom responded.

"If you don't like the Ghost Zone, then where do you live?"

"I…ummm…bye!" He stuttered before bolting off and out of sight.

The recording stopped and the screen turned back to the reporter.

"It has been confirmed that Danny Phantom does _not_ live in the Ghost Zone where we had assumed he lived. Afterward, many citizens contemplated the subject. The two main theories are that he either lives somewhere in the human world, but does not wish to give the location, or simply has no home at all. Either way, he resides somewhere in the human world. Researchers are currently depicting where."

All Danny could do was stare wide-eyed at what he had just heard. _Oh, no! They _are_ trying to find me! What do I do?!_

"Amazing. The ghost kid doesn't even live in the Ghost Zone. Who would have thought?" Jack pondered.

"What confuses me is that he said that the Ghost Zone creeps him out. He _is_ a ghost after all, shouldn't he _like_ the Ghost Zone?"

Danny couldn't take this anymore! He made a run for it and dashed out the door, leaving behind his wondering parents. He transformed himself behind a building and flew quickly to Sam's house, but something stopped him. He suddenly became surrounded by helicopters. A crowd waited below him. Danny started panicking like crazy. He was _way _too nervous to think clearly.

The crowd was shouting things up at the jumpy ghost boy. His lighting green eyes darted around, looking for a way to escape.

"Danny Phantom, due to recent events, you are hereby ordered to come in for questioning." A man from a helicopter commanded over a megaphone.

Danny flew back and forth hurriedly, trying to escape. He turned invisible, but a ghost shield was cast around him before he could do anything. Deciding that invisibility wouldn't help now, he regained visibility. The helicopter started to move, bringing the shield and Danny with them.

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**Sorry that Danny seems a little OOC, I'll try to do better next chapter. I also apologize that it was kinda short. In case you are confused; Danny basically admitted that he doesn't live in the Ghost Zone, which means he _has_ to live in the human world, so people got curious as to where in the human world he lives, and some think he doesn't live anywhere and just roams. Now, the government is getting involved in the recent matter. You'll find out why in the next chapter.**

**Review please!**


	2. Chapter 2

After a short and nerve-wrecking flight, the helicopters and Danny finally land in front of a tall brick building. The barrier keeping Danny inside was let down and someone ran over and snapped ghost-proof handcuffs on Danny.

"Sorry, kid, protocol." The tall muscular man apologized.

Two strong men walked on either side of Danny as they entered the foreboding building. Danny didn't like where this was going. He was guided through a labyrinth of dimly lit hallways. He glanced anxiously at the two men beside him. They must've been guards of some kind, to make sure he didn't try to escape. The journey was silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the echoes of their footsteps, although Danny was almost positive the sounds of his rapidly beating heart were mixed in there as well. Finally, the group arrived at a door. The man to his right knocked loudly on the door.

"Come in!" A voice sounded from inside.

The guard swung open the door and gave Danny a little push inside before leaving and re-closing the door. Danny swallowed hard. There was a well-toned man sitting at the desk with short brown hair and equally brown eyes. He raised his head up from the desk to look at Danny, standing and waiting patiently.

"Am I a prisoner?" Danny asked, trying to hide the fear in his voice.

"No." The man answered.

"Then why am I wearing handcuffs?"

"It's a protocol. We have to make sure that you won't escape."

Danny just silently looked down at the floor feeling slightly depressed with a hint of feeling insulted.

"Danny Phantom, correct?" The man asked in a stern voice.

Danny just nodded in response, not looking directly into the man's eyes.

Even though the man said that he wasn't a prisoner, Danny sure did feel like one.

"Do you know why you're here?" The man interrogated.

"Can we just skip to the part where you tell me what I did wrong?" Danny inquired sadly. (A/N I stole that from That's So Raven, which I do not own, it just fit so perfectly).

"You didn't do anything wrong." The man responded.

"If I didn't do anything wrong then I wouldn't be here." Danny concluded. He knew that he shouldn't mess around with this guy, but his natural stubbornness and quick wit took over.

"Do you _want_ me to explain why you're here?" The man asked, getting slightly aggravated.

Danny nodded, a little too scared to speak.

"Then be quiet!" The man barked.

Danny did as he was told, afraid of angering the guy again.

"Do you remember what you said earlier today?"

"About Skulker?"

"No."

"About not liking the Ghost Zone?"

"Yes."

"So, what?"

"Do you or do you not have a home in the human world?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Can't say."

"Why?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Do you have a guardian in the human world."

"Not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"

"Again, hard to explain."

The man sighed heavily, this kid wouldn't give him anything.

"Danny Phantom, do you or do you not have both a guardian and a residence here in the human world."

"Not." Danny replied giving in. Danny _Fenton _did, but he said Danny _Phantom._

"Then read this." He ordered, pointing to a highlighted section in a thick book.

Danny read.

_All children under the age of 18 must have a legal guardian and a residence._

"So?" asked a puzzled Danny.

"Did you read it carefully?"

"Yeah, I…oh, wait. No. No, no, no!" Danny was finally getting it and he didn't like it.

"Yes, I am afraid so."

"But…but I'm a ghost!" Danny stuttered panicky.

"But you're also a kid. A kid, if I'm not mistaken, under the age of 18."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Danny questioned rudely, suddenly gaining back his nerve.

"The government has decided that you shall be placed into different trial families and choose in the end which one you shall stay with." The man said this so plainly that it was like he brought ghosts, especially ghosts like Danny Phantom, in every day and told them that they were suddenly up for adoption.

"I'm doing fine on my own!" Danny shouted irritably.

"I don't make these rules, kid, I just enforce them." The unusually calm man stated.

"Tomorrow, you shall report in front of this building and you will be escorted to the first family." He told an unnerved and angry Danny Phantom. "Don't try to escape, we have ways of finding you." The man added threateningly, making Danny's skin crawl.

Later that day, Danny sat in his room with his best friends, Sam and Tucker.

"So you're saying that they are putting you up for adoption?" Tucker asked astounded.

"Well, they're putting Danny _Phantom_ up for adoption, but, yeah, basically." Danny replied.

"What are you going to do?" Sam inquired concerned.

"I don't know! I'm supposed to spend 3 days and three nights with each family and there are three families signed up. So that's about 9 days." Danny responded nervously.

"Nine days to figure this whole mess out? Don't worry, dude, we'll make a plan to get you out of this." Tucker reassured.

"My parents will still wonder where I've gone though." Danny stated.

"Just tell them that you're going on a camping trip with Sam." Tucker told him.

Danny sighed. "Well, it's the best excuse I've got." Danny decided.

"When do you have to leave?" Sam asked sadly.

"Tomorrow morning." Danny replied equally as sad.

"We'll think of something, we always do." Sam assured.

"Well, looks like we've gotta go, see you around." Tucker said depressed.

Both of Danny's friends exited the room sulkily. It wasn't like they weren't going to see him at all, just less. They also felt bad for him.

A few moments later, Danny walked down the stairs and looked for his parents. He found them in the lab.

"Hey, guys? I'm going on a camping trip with Sam for a little while." Danny lied.

"Okay sweetie! How long will you be gone?" Maddie asked.

"About 9 days."

"When are you leaving?" jack asked, obviously wanting in on the conversation.

"Tomorrow morning."

"Okay, just remember to say goodbye to us before you leave." Maddie told her son.

"And bring emergency ghost hunting gear." Jack added.

"I will." Danny said tiredly. "I better go pack." He lied. What he really meant is; I better get out of here before I end up on the receiving end of Dad's ramblings about some new invention.

The next morning, Danny, in Phantom mode, arrived in front of the building. A group of men were already waiting for him. Danny sighed and walked toward them. One took out the handcuffs.

"Protocol?" Danny asked tiredly.

"Protocol." The man with the handcuffs confirmed, snapping them onto Danny's wrists.

Danny was taken into a black car with tinted windows (of course). The driver took off without a word. Danny got bored and decided to start a conversation with the men sitting on either side of him.

"Where do I have to go first?" Danny inquired, although he seemed bored with the subject, that is, until he heard the answer.

"The residence of Mayor Masters."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry that this cahpter is gonna be short. The next one might be kinda short too.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or any of this, only the plot for the story.**

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"The residence of Mayor Masters."_

"What?!" Danny exclaimed. He should have known that Vlad would do this, he always wanted Danny as his son and he finally got the opportunity. Not that Danny would choose him.

"The Mayor has kindly offered to take you in. You are lucky he is such a nice man. Not many people are willing to adopt a ghost, even if he is the proclaimed town hero."

A few moments later, the car pulled up to the giant mansion. The man pushed Danny out of the car. Vlad came walking out quickly. It was like he was just waiting by the window so that he could see the expression on Danny's face.

"Ahhh…Daniel, how nice to have you staying here." Vlad said in his usual calm manor with an evil smirk on his face, which was unnoticed by the men guarding Danny.

Danny only replied with a loathing glare. He was ushered forward into Vlad's mansion.

"Do you want the handcuffs on or off, Mayor Masters?" The guard asked in a monotone voice.

"On for now, we might have to wait a little while before he trusts me." Vlad replied in a gentleman-like tone.

"Here is the key in case you feel that it is safe to let him go." The guard handed over a glowing green key to Vlad, who carefully took it.

"Thank you." Vlad said in fake-gratefulness.

"We will be here to pick him up Monday morning."

The men left and Vlad closed the door behind them, turning to a very angry ghost boy.

"You won't get away with this Vlad. I'll never choose you!" Danny growled with a firm scowl on his tanned face.

"Oh, but you have missed a very important detail, my dear boy. You forgot that you are here for _three_ days and unless you do something to make me believe that you'll behave like a good little boy, then you won't be getting out of those handcuffs." Vlad sneered.

This made Danny only angrier. Vlad would pay for this. Right now though, he couldn't do anything.

"What about the town?" Danny asked, still enraged.

"I'm sure the town can stand three days without you, it might actually do them good." Danny glowered disbelievingly at that. "Besides, I'm sure Valerie would be all too pleased about you disappearing for a few days while she takes over the job." Vlad added, doubling Danny's anger.

Danny didn't think that it was possible for him to hate this man anymore than he did right now.

"Only three days." Danny murmured to himself. "What could possibly happen?"

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It turns out; a lot could happen and did. 

"Now Daniel, don't forget to get that patch over there." Vlad taunted as Danny was mowing the huge lawn (he was in human form as he did this).

Danny just glared at Vlad and continued. He wished that he could just use an ecto-blast, but Vlad was doing this for the sheer joy of torturing him.

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Later, Danny was being forced to massage Vlad's feet. 

"Isn't this wonderful Danny? I'm _so_ glad that we've had this time to spend together." Vlad commented in a devilishly pleasant way.

This earned him a low growl from the tortured teen.

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Those were the slowest, most painful days of his life. The day when it came time to pick him up didn't come fast enough for Danny. He thought that he would never be so happy to get picked up by giant guards in black suits that show no emotion whatsoever. 

Danny dashed to the door and changed into his ghost form as the doorbell rang Monday morning. Danny flung the door open, revealing the two tall guards.

"Now Daniel, don't rush. Don't you want to say goodbye at least?" Vlad said in mock hurt.

"Bye!" Danny shouted quickly as he exited the mansion as fast as possible, still wearing the handcuffs.

"Get in the car." One of the clad black men ordered.

"Don't have to tell me twice, as long as it gets me away from here." Danny said as he shoved himself into the black car again.

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A few moments later the vehicle pulled up to a large brick house. It looked familiar. 

"Oh, no." Danny muttered to himself as he realized whose house it was.

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**I know, I'm so evil for leaving a cliffie. Some people already know who this is, so don't spoil it for anyone else. I'll try to put the next chappie up as soon as I can and I'll try to make it longer, but it probably won't be.**

**Anyway, R&R. BTW, I _finally_ got a new computer!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! I'm updating again! This chapter will suprise/shock you. I don't know what else to say, so hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything here, except for the storyline obviously.**

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_"Oh, no." Danny muttered to himself as he realized whose house it was._

There was a white mailbox outside of the house labeled (Are you ready for this? I know I torture Danny _way_ too much) Baxter. He was at Dash's house.

The car stopped outside of the massive brick building. Not as big as Sam's house, but still big. Danny reluctantly stepped out of the black car and into the daylight. The two men kept guard on him again, assisting him to the door. The one on his left rang the doorbell. Danny stepped further back, almost behind the two huge guys. His heart couldn't beat any faster, or so he thought. He was going to have to spend three days with a kid he hates, and worse, Danny was Dash's hero and he knew that Dash wouldn't give him a minute's peace. Another thought struck Danny, he'd have to stay in ghost form for three days, not to mention another three days after that with the last family. Danny was practically sweating with nervousness as he heard footsteps approach the door. He tried to hide as much as possible behind the two men. He took one last deep breath.

The door opened and a women with short blond hair stepped out in front of them. Luckily, she didn't notice Danny yet.

"Excuse me, is something wrong?" She asked politely.

"No, mam. If we are not mistaken, you have signed up to take charge of the ghost kid for three days."

"Oh, yes. I'll call the rest of the family down." She said calmly. Was Danny the _only_ one freaked out about this whole thing? "Hun, Dash, can you come down here?" She shouted up.

A few moments later, footsteps came echoing down the stairs. Two figures joined the woman, a tall blond man and Dash. Both of the tall, blond, muscular men looked out the door with shocked expressions on their faces. They didn't notice the hiding Danny either, just the two black clad men.

"What's going on?" They asked confusedly in unison.

"According to our list, you have signed up to care for the ghost kid, Danny Phantom, for a three day trial." The man re-explained.

The two just nodded.

"Where is he?" Dash asked, not seeing Danny who was still trying to hide.

The man tiredly reached behind him to pull Danny out from his hiding spot. He caught hold of Danny's cuffs and dragged him out. Danny just looked down at the ground. This was so embarrassing. He was a superhero and here he was, being treated like a pet.

His head still hung low as everyone gaped at their depressed hero, standing there so helpless. The men nudged him inside. Danny stumbled slightly at the small push. The men handed the parents the keys and then left, leaving Danny to his torture.

"So…what do you liked to be called?" Dash's Mom asked him, breaking a long silence. Danny's hair hung over his face, hiding it. He didn't feel like looking up, letting them see the horrible expression on his face. He couldn't show them all of the emotions he was feeling. He was supposed to be the hero and heroes can't show weakness.

"Danny." He murmured. It was his name after all, but they were probably just wondering if they should call him by his first, last, or full name.

"Well, Danny, I'm Mrs. Baxter, this is Mr. Baxter, and this is Dash." She introduced, indicating to each figure as she spoke their name.

"Hi." Danny muttered. He really didn't want to talk right now.

"Do you want to play football or something?" Dash asked, trying to be casual with his hero along with noticing Danny's state.

"Dash, why don't you show our guest around?" Dash's Dad asked kindly.

Geez, Dash's parents acted so nice, what went wrong with Dash?

"Honey, I think that Danny would appreciate it a lot more if we took off the handcuffs first." Dash's Mom added in.

"Oh, right." Replied her husband. Almost everyone, including Danny, forgot about the handcuffs.

He walked over to Danny with the key and grabbed the handcuffs, inserted the key, and removed them.

Danny stared down at his uncuffed wrists. They were a little soar and he started rubbing them.

"Thanks." He responded in a voice that was slightly louder than the previous murmurs.

"You're welcome." He replied, finding the sight of the kid that was usually increadibly brave and strong so broken down.

"I'll show you around." Dash stated, slightly nervous and…wait a minute…was that concern?

Danny silently followed Dash.

Dash's parents just cast weird looks at the ghost teen.

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"Now that the little tour is done, wanna go play football or something?" Dash asked after the tour was completed. He sounded a little less nervous. 

"No thanks." He mumbled, his head still down.

"You know, you're gonna get a _serious_ neck cramp if you keep walking around like that." Dash stated, attempting to break Danny from his depression. (Sorry, OOC moment).

Danny remained silent.

"You okay? 'Cause you're nothing like this when you fight ghosts and stuff." Dash asked showing some concern. This was very unexpected behavior from Dash.

"Would you be okay if you're free one moment and then being captured and put up for adoption and having to stay with several different families the next?" Danny questioned in response. It was his first full sentence since he got here. Although, the problem with him hanging his head was still not resolved.

Dash stared at the ghost boy, amazed by his story.

Dash noticed a blue mist escape Danny's mouth, his ghost sense.

"Be right back." Danny muttered, finally lifting his head up to reveal a serious face, although it can be assumed that it wasn't serious when he was hanging his head.

Danny flew up and phased through the ceiling. Dash watched the spot where his hero had disappeared. He then ran over to the window to see if he could watch the fight.

Skulker was waiting impatiently for him.

"So, ghost child, having a little trouble lately?" Skulker sneered in mock sympathy.

"Go away Skulker. I'm not in the mood." Danny said irritably.

Skulker replied by firing a large blaster at Danny. Danny quickly dodged the blue-white beam. He fired a ghost ray in return, hitting his foe successfully. The mechanical ghost staggered back, but quickly regained his composure and blasted Danny again. This time, the blast singed his shoulder, revealing a patch of burned, glowing, tan skin. Danny held his aching shoulder and softly groaned. This made it the perfect time for Skulker to come at him with a glowing blade. It gave off a menacing green aura. Danny moved out of the way as his opponent swiped it, the blade barely missing Danny. Danny shot an ice beam toward Skulker. The blue beam him his arm and froze it. Danny blasted it off once again.

"Didn't you learn the last time I beat you? I will always _win_." Danny remarked.

"I am determined to catch you, ghost child, and _nothing_ will change that." Skulker responed bitterly.

Skulker flung himself at Danny with his only remaining arm bearing the knife. He managed to slice Danny's arm deeply before Danny zapped him with a rather powerful eto-blast, weakening him enough to be captured.

"And don't come back!" Danny shouted as he sucked his robotic enemy into the Fenton Thermos.

Danny cringed as he held his arm, which was now leaking ectoplasm from the gash. He groaned. Then he remembered that he had to return to Dash's house. Oh, bundles of fun!

He sadly drifted back, taking his time. He took a deep breath before phasing through the wall. He was met on the other side by an astounded Dash.

"Dude, that was awesome!" He complimented.

Danny returned to the floor, removing his hand from his aching wound to find his gloved hand coated in ectoplasm and the cut burned.

"What the heck is that?!" Dash shouted, indicating to Danny's bleeding arm.

"It's nothing." Danny replied, not wanting either sympathy or attention.

"What are you two shouting about?!" Dash's Mom came storming up the stairs and opened the door to the room. The two boys were standing in the middle, Danny's arm exposed.

"What happened?" Dash's Mom asked worriedly after she noticed Danny's cut.

"Nothing." Danny replied annoyed. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

"that sure doesn't look like 'nothing'." She retorted.

"It's fine." He groaned. This was getting on his last nerve.

'I'm going on patrol." He stated as he flew out of the building, not letting her say aanything else.

"That boy is even more hard-headed then you." She stated.

"Hey!" Dash exclaimed, not appreciating the comment.

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**Bet that was a suprise. I got so many people guessing Fenton Works. If you really want me to add Fenton Works to the houses that he has to visit, please review and tell me so because I gladly will.**

**Anyway, please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Next chapter! Danny's in _trouble_ taunting voice! Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP!**

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Danny took his time on patrol. He wasn't even really patroling, but flying around, enjoying his temporary freedom. The young ghost kid found that flying was the best was to forget his troubles, but this time, they still lingered in the back of his mind, no matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts out.

The sun had set hours ago and the sky was pitch black, only lit by the stars that twinkled above. The air had turned cool as the night had approached. Danny took a deep breath of the calm air and closed his eyes peacefully while doing a loop in mid-air, a small smile plastered on his tanned face. The cut on his arm was gone.

He heard the clock chime ten and he knew that he was supposed to go back to Dash's house, but he didn't want to. Of course, what we are responsible to do and what we want to do are two different things, so, he slowly made his way back. Back to the moments he'd rather not live.

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He silently approached the house almost half an hour later. He heard something from below him, someone shouting his name. 

"Danny!" They didn't sound too pleased.

The ghost teen looked down to see Dash's Mom yelling up at him, obviously not happy. He bit his lip and floated down to the woman's figure. He had the look on his face like a child does when they know that they've done something wrong.

"Where were you?" She asked the same way his own Mom would, it almost made Danny want to break down.

"Around." He answered quickly, trying to hide the fact that this was torture.

"Why?"

"Patrol." _To get out of this nightmare for a while_ he thought in his head, but didn't say it out load.

"You left **six** hours ago." She stated, getting irritated.

"I wanted to make sure the town was safe?" he tried to make up an excuse,but that was the best that he got. He put on a smile that just screamed "guilty."

"In." She ordered, opening the door and pointing through it.

Danny obeyed silently, hanging his head slightly.

"If you want to stay here, you have to follow the rules…" She started lecturing. Danny cut her off, though. He was so angry that he couldn't take it anymore, he felt like he was going to burst.

"Who said I wanted to stay here?! Who said I wanted to stay _anywhere_?! I would've much rather stayed the way I was before; free! I hate this and I hate the stupid government for doing this! I've been doing fine the way I was and that's the way I liked it! No one asked me if I wanted to do this! If they did, I wouldn't be here right now, I'd still be happy and free!" He blared, his eyes glowing intense green. Any angrier and he might've released a ghostly wail by accident.

His state of emotion and the way he responded caused the woman to stare at him, completely stunned. She would've never expected him to react that way, to get so mad. Her mouth hung agape. Danny saw her face and calmed down, almost to a sad point. He tilted his head down, trying not to make eye contact.

"I…I'm sorry. I don't know what happened." Danny apologized quietly and remorcefully. How had he lost control like that?

Her silent reply only made him feel worse. He longed for her to say something, even if she yelled at him and told him to leave her house and never come back.

"Go." Came her single-worded reply after several painful moments.

"If you don't want to stay here, then leave." Danny wasn't sure if she was saying that out of anger or sympathy, either way, he took it and flew back into the sky, into the cool night air.

Danny didn't know where he was going and he didn't really care at the moment. All that mattered was that he was free. After a few minutes of enjoyable fresh air, he heard someone shouting at him. The voice was familiar.

"Danny! Dude, over here!" Shouted Tucker from his window.

Danny turned around and sped toward Tucker.

"Hey, Tuck. What's up?" Danny asked casually.

"What's up? What's up with _you_? We haven't seen you at all in the past few days. Who were you sent to?" Tucker interrogated.

"Woah, slow down. First of all, nice to see you too. Second, I was sent to…(shudder)…Vlad, then Dash."

"Are you kidding me? They basically sent you to live with your two worst enemies? What are they trying to do, torture you?" Tucker frantically exclaimed.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Shouldn't you be with…" Tucker started, not knowing what family that Danny was currently with.

"Dash. No, Dash's Mom noticed how miserable I was and let me free. Now all I have to do is keep dodging the government until this all dies down." Danny explained.

"So, where are you staying?"

"I…um..hadn't thought of that." Danny admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Wanna stay here?"

"You sure that it's okay?"

"Of course. Just as long as you stay here as Fenton."

"No problem. I'm actually a little tired from staying in ghost form for so long."

"Come in then, I'll go tell my parents." Tucker moved out of the window so that Danny could fly in, then he rushed downstairs.

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**Finally, a break for Danny, but since I'm the author and this has to be interesting, it won't last long. Muahahahaha!**

**Please review! BTW, you people have been great readers, thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, this one is a little short. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.**

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"How long does it take Sam to walk from her house to mine? We called her a while ago." Tucker thought out loud.

"Tucker, it's only been ten minutes." Danny stated simply.

Sam burst through the door at that moment.

"Danny? Danny!" she ran over and hugged the life out of him.

"Okay, Sam…can't…breathe." Danny gasped.

"Sorry." She apologized, releasing him from her death grip.

"What happened?"

"Long story short, I went to Vlad's, then Dash's, but Dash's Mom let me leave, and then I came here." Danny explained quickly.

"I can't believe that they did that to you! You save everyone over and over again and they repay you by shipping you off to your worst enemies!" Sam fumed.

"Calm down, Sam. At least I'm okay now, if not a little mentally scarred." Danny joked.

"Now that everyone is up to date, what are you going to do now, Danny?" Tucker asked concerned. He and Sam turned to look at their half-ghost friend.

"I…I don't know." Danny admitted in defeat. "I definitely don't want to be caught and tossed around again, but if I hide, then I can't protect the town."

"Well, maybe you could…I got nothing." Tucker attempted.

"Way to be optimistic." Sam snapped sarcastically.

"This coming from a Goth." Tucker argued.

"Tucker's right, Sam. For once, I don't think that there _is_ a way out of this." Danny said sadly.

"So, what's going to happen next time a ghost attacks?" Sam questioned.

Danny's ghost sense went off at that very moment. "I guess we'll find out now." Danny replied seriously. "I'm Going Ghost!" He cried.

The two white rings appeared around his waist and separated, running in opposite directions. Danny's white and red shirt and blue jeans were transformed into a black and silvery white jumpsuit. As the ring passed over his head it turned his magnificent blue eyes a ghostly, glowing green and his black hair became a snow white. The rings disappeared as they reached his body's limits. Now, Danny Phantom was standing in the wake of Danny Fenton.

Danny dashed out the open window. Outside, he was only met by the Box Ghost.

"BEWARE! For I am the Box Ghost!" came the signature rant of the pathetic blue ghost.

"I risked coming out here because of you?" Danny asked annoyed.

"Hey! I am dangerous enough to fight!" The Box Ghost shouted, insulted.

Danny sent a small beam at the irritating little ghost, zapping him.

"Okay, I fought you. _Now_, can I put you in the thermos?"

"I shall not be contained for I am the Box Gho…" His rant was interrupted by Danny sucking him into the Fenton Thermos.

"Now that that's over, better get out of here before I…" Danny started.

"Halt there ghost kid! You have been reported to have been let go by the previous family and shall therefore be sent to the next one immediately!" One of his previous guards shouted up to him while blasting a net to catch Danny. The glowing green ghost-proof net grasped Danny and clung around him.

"…get caught." Danny finished to himself.

Danny was removed from the net and the handcuffs were placed back onto his wrists. He sighed heavily. They shoved him back into the little black car with the guards again.

"Can I use a phone?" Danny asked politely.

"Why?" One of the guards interrogated.

"I need to call someone."

The guard speaking looked over to the one on the opposite side of Danny. That guard nodded and the one who was speaking handed Danny a cell phone. Danny carefully took it. He dialed Tucker's number quickly. After a few rings, Tucker picked up.

"Hello?" Tucker asked from the other end.

"It's Danny." Danny whispered.

"Danny? Dude, where are you?"

"I got caught again. Tell Sam that I won't be back. I'll try to find you guys as soon as I can, but right now, I have to go. Bye." Danny hurriedly explained. He ended the call and handed the phone back, getting weird looks from the guards. It was the kind of look that made he feel like he wasn't trusted.

A giant building loomed above as the car came to a stop. The guards held onto each of Danny's arms to prevent his escape. The enormous shadow loomed over them. Danny knew this house all too well.

"No. It…it can't be." Danny murmured to himself disbelievingly.

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**Again, sorry that it was short. I'll make the next one longer. Please R&R!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi again! I wrote the next chapter. As promised, it is longer than the last one. Majority of the reviewers asked me to put this house on the list, so I added it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP. Butch Hartman and [the-evil-because-they-are-stopping-production-of-DP Nickelodeon does.**

* * *

No. It…it can't be." Danny murmured to himself disbelievingly. 

The enormous giant building had a huge metal addition to the top and a big flashing sign. Fenton Works, a.k.a. his own house.

"There has to be a mistake!" Danny blurted to the guards.

"No mistake. This household has signed to be a part of the program." The guard to his right replied dully.

"But they are ghost _hunters_! They want to destroy me!" He shouted panicky.

The guards dragged him to the front door, having a firm grip on his arms. How he wished that he could just phase out and fly away! He squirmed and struggled, using all his energy in an attempt to get away from them before they delivered him to his demise. They held strong though, only getting the driver to come out and help hold him still. One of the guards quickly rang the doorbell while still securing the struggling ghost teen.

Jack and Maddie, opened the door and stared surprisingly at the tall muscular men standing there, then noticed who they were holding.

"What's this all about and why are you bringing that _ghost_ to our house?" Danny's Mom interrogated.

Just then, Jazz suddenly appeared behind her. "Mom, Dad, I'll explain. I found out that Danny Phantom was going to be forced to live at different homes, I found it as the perfect opportunity to show you that he's not an evil ghost and only wants to help." Danny's sister explained.

"What were you thinking, Jasmine?! That's a **ghost**!" Jack demanded.

"I was thinking that you two need to stop trying to destroy him and realize that he's a hero!" The red-head told them irritably.

"Excuse me, but are you taking him or not?" The man interrupted.

Jazz stared at her parents firmly. They looked back at their daughter before giving in with a huge sigh.

"Fine…we'll take him." Maddie grumbled.

Danny, who was roughly struggling the whole time, was thrown in, landing on his back. He grunted as his flesh hit the hard ground. He recoiled and put his arms in front of his face in a blocking position. He had his eyes shut tightly.

The three in the room were staring down weirdly at the ghost kid, who was expecting to be shot any minute.

"Why is he acting like that?" Maddie whispered to Jazz.

"What do you expect? He's just been tossed into a house full of ghost hunters who have attempted to kill him in the past." Jazz answered in a hushed tone.

"No one's shooting, ghost kid." Maddie sighed.

Danny opened one eye half way before seeing that there weren't and ghost weapons aimed in his face. He sat up, hands still cuffed.

"Why aren't you shooting? I mean; that was kind of you main intention last time." Danny questioned, still shaken up a bit.

Jazz pulled Danny off of the floor. "I'll explain it to him." She told her parents before pulling her brother away.

"Jazz, what's going on?" Danny asked her, confused.

"I figured that this would be the perfect way to show them that you're good and only want to help." Jazz re-explained.

"By shoving me into a house of people who want to kill me?! That was a _brilliant_ idea." Danny commented sarcastically, folding his arms in annoyance.

"I know you hate the idea now, but you'll thank me later." Jazz told him.

"Doubt it." Danny responded doubtfully.

"Come on!" Jazz said impatiently. She dragged Danny by an arm. If people kept doing that, he was going get a serious bruise.

Danny was soon pulled into the kitchen, where the two ghost hunters were waiting. Danny grew incredibly nervous. He was practically sweating when he saw the distrusting looks they gave him.

"Listen here, Phantom. We don't trust you and you don't trust us, but Jazz has convinced us to give you a chance-one chance-don't blow it." Jack spat.

"G-Got it." Danny stammered, trembling a little. He hated seeing his own father, even if he didn't know it, talk to him like this. He could stand strong in the face of any ghost, but this sent chills up his spine, which was kind of pathetic when he thought about it.

"Jasmine, show Phantom to the guest room. He'll have to stay _somewhere_, no matter how much we dislike it. Phantom, you stay there until we tell you to come down." Maddie instructed.

Jazz lead the half-ghost up the stairs, even though she knew that he knew where it was, but her parent's didn't know he knew. They both entered the room.

"Danny, are you okay?" Jazz questioned with concern deep in her voice. She sat down on the bed with Danny next to her.

"No! So far I've been to the house of both my worst human _and_ ghost enemies. Then, I finally break free, only to be caught and dumped into here!" Danny explained anxiously.

"Don't worry, it'll work out. I have to go back down now, but just calm down for a minute." She re-assured. It brought a small smile to Danny's face.

Jazz got up and headed to the door. She exited and then closed it behind her.

Down in the kitchen, Jazz heard her parents arguing. She decided to lay low and listen for a while.

"I just don't get it! That was _not_ the same Phantom we hunt. He seemed almost scared." Maddie pondered.

"It's just an act. I can't believe that our _daughter_ actually thinks that he's good! He's a ghost and that's it." Jack replied.

Jazz chose that moment to enter the conversation.

"It's not an act. All he wants to do is help. I've talked to him, I know how he thinks. To tell you the truth, right now, he's terrified." Jazz said defensively.

"Jazz, you've _talked _to him? You know that we don't approve of any contact with ghosts unless we're hunting them." Maddie told her in that way that parents do when their kid has done something very wrong.

"Yes, I've talked to him; long enough to figure out that his emotional status is that of a regular teenager's. After what he's been through, I'm surprised he hasn't broke down yet. I've found out that he has a lot more mental stress on him than most kids would even imagine. Also, he's not only scared right now, he's scared all the time, but he tries to act brave even when he is. Trust me, under that super-hero complex; he's just some regular kid." Jazz told them. If Danny was there, he would have been completely embarrassed.

"If you know all of this, then you have been spending _way_ too much time with the ghost kid." Jack warned Jazz.

"Well, he's one of my best psychology patients, even if he doesn't feel like talking all the time."

"Now I _know_ you've spent way too much time around him." Jack stated.

"Jazz, he's a ghost. Ghost's don't think that way." Maddie informed her.

"He does." Jazz concluded before walking off.

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**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Goodbye until (hopefully) tomorrow. Happy Friday the 13th! My favorite!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay! Next Chapter. The Fenton House visit is about four chapters long at least (including the last one).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP.**

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Danny was waiting in the guest room, fiddling with the handcuffs when Jazz walked back in.

"Hey, Danny." Jazz greeted a little too cheerfully.

"Okay, stop pretending. What did they say?" Danny asked sadly.

"They thought that you were acting and that you don't really have that many emotions if any."

Danny slumped his head forward depressingly.

"But I told them that you were truly good and you can feel just as much as humans." Jazz finished.

Danny perked up a little and raised his head, revealing a little smile.

"Thanks, Jazz. I can always count on you." Danny leaned in and hugged his sister. They broke apart after a few moments.

"Jazz, Phantom, come down here!" Came their mother's voice from downstairs.

The two teens rose up off the bed and walked side by side out of the room, down the stairs, and into the kitchen where the Fenton parents were waiting impatiently. Just going near them in his ghost form was enough to make him nervous. He did _not_ want to become the next victim of one of their tests.

Danny stood slightly behind Jazz, still feeling uneasy around the two ghost hunters, but not wanting to make it blatantly obvious.

"Jazz, we thought about what you said and even though we find I logically impossible, we've decided to consider the idea." Maddie conveyed her daughter.

Jazz smiled broadly at her accomplishment.

"Phantom, we have a few things to ask you." Jack said with a slightly suspicious tone.

Danny gulped hard and moved slightly farther behind his sister.

"Guys, you're going to drive him insane with the questions that you're going to ask!" Jazz exclaimed while taking a fully defensive position in front of Danny, legs and arms spread out.

"Jasmine Fenton, we order you to back down immediately." Her mother commanded.

"No. I won't let you mentally or physically torture him." Jazz protested, staying firm.

Danny put his gloved hand on his sister's shoulder. "Jazz, stop. If it means that they'll trust me more, I'll do it." Danny confirmed, stepping out from behind his protective sister and toward the two ghost hunters.

Jack and Maddie looked surprisingly at him. They'd never expected for him to give in so willingly.

They lead him down into the lab and he obediently followed. He cast one last sad smile at Jazz before disappearing down the steps.

As he entered the lab, a fearful feeling overtook him. The lab looked the same as it always had and he'd been down here millions of times, but now was different. Now he was Phantom. Now he had no means of escape due to the handcuffs that he still bore, making his wrists sore from wearing them for so long.

"Sit there, ghost kid." Jack ordered, pointing to a chair near the middle of the lab. It seemed innocent enough, not like it was a weapon bent on his destruction.

Danny cautiously took a seat, almost waiting for it to attack him. A few moments later, the two Fenton parents treaded over to him. Their faces were like stone, but his felt like it was on the brink of breaking with anxiety.

"Why do you try to protect the humans?" Maddie interrogated.

Danny tried not to make eye contact when he answered.

"Because I feel like I'm responsible too." Danny replied honestly.

"Why just Amity Park?" Jack questioned.

"It's the one with the biggest ghost problem." Danny answered.

"Any other reasons?" Maddie asked curiously, feeling like Phantom wasn't telling them the whole truth.

"To protect everyone I care about." Danny responded, now head facing the floor and eyes closed. This was getting to be quite difficult to do without cracking at some point. These questions were way to personal for him.

Maddie and Jack just stared at him in shock and surprise. Cares about? Who could he possibly be that close to?

"How is it that you can show more emotions than the other ghosts?" Maddie questioned, her tone slightly softer than before.

"All ghosts have all emotions, it's just that most don't tend to show them." Danny replied, still facing the floor.

"The question was; why do _you_ show more emotions than the other ghosts?"

"Can we please skip that one?" Danny requested politely.

"Fine. Just one more." Danny sighed with relief as she said this. "Do you know our son, Danny?"

His head instantly shot up to meet them face to face and his eyes flew wide-open in panic.

"I…can't say." Danny stuttered, not wanting to get his human self in trouble.

"You can go now." Maddie dismissed.

Danny exited the lab and went back to meet Jazz.

"What happened?" She asked him with concern dripping off of every syllable.

"Nothing much." Danny lied. He didn't want to worry his sister.

"You should rest now, it's getting late and I think that you could use a good night's sleep." Jazz advised.

Danny smiled and walked up the stairs and into the guest bedroom. Jazz, however, went downstairs to talk to her parents. She was close to the corner when she heard them talking about something. She decided to eavesdrop for the second time that night.

"That ghost is an odd one." Jack noted.

"I think that Jazz was right too; his mind is much more emotionally complex than majority of the other ghosts." Maddie added.

"If I didn't know any better; I'd say he was human."

"Well, we know that he at lease _thinks_ like a human. I can see why Jazz would pick him to be her patient and with the way his mind seems to work, he probably needs it too."

"I think we should ask Jazz; see what else she knows about Phantom."

"Okay, let's go." Maddie agreed.

Jazz stepped out from behind the wall, trying to look as if she heard nothing.

"Jazz, we were just going to see you." Maddie told her.

"Why?" Jazz tried to play dumb.

"We have a few questions about Phantom." Maddie stated.

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**It's the evil cliffie of DOOM! Muahahahahaha! Puts on innocent face Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry that the interrogation lasts a while, but there is some good coughtorturingDannycough in this chapter. BTW, sorry in advance for making the characters OOC.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP. **_

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"We have a few questions Phantom." Maddie stated._

Jazz became slightly nervous. She wasn't very good at lying and she wasn't sure what kinds of things her parents would ask her.

"What kind of questions?" Jazz asked, attempting to hide her anxiety.

"First of, all…" Jack started, but then looked down at an index card with writing on it. "What emotions does Danny Phantom express frequently?" He read flatly. "Thanks for writing down the questions for me, Honey-cakes." Jack whispered to Maddie.

"All of them. You'd be surprised at how human-like his emotional plane is." Jazz responded, but then mentally slapped herself for saying "human-like." Hopefully her parents didn't pick up too much.

Maddie asked the next question. "When did you first meet him?"

"About a year and a half ago."

(A/N From here, the questions will be alternately switching from Jack to Maddie. Jazz will always be the one answering).

"Why did you want to help the ghost kid and not a human?"

"He was more mentally tortured and confused than any _human_ could possibly be."

"From what he's talked to you about so far, what does he have to think about?"

"I don't think that he'd appreciate me discussing this subject with you."

"Obviously, neither of you are going to tell us much, are you?" Maddie asked her daughter tiredly, seeing as how they never went into much detail of failed to answer the question.

"It's his life…" Jazz began before Jack cut her off.

"After-life." Jack interrupted.

"Either way, I am not responsible or have any right to tell you about things that are his choice whether he discloses that particular piece of information or not." Jazz told them expertly. **(I'm sorry most of this has been boring and OOC so far, so I tried to make this part in character, hopefully I did a good job).**

"Jazz, tell Phantom that it's time for everyone to go to sleep now." Maddie ordered her daughter exasperatedly.

"He's already asleep. I told him to get some rest before I came down here." Jazz replied plainly, but showing that she _did_ care for the ghost kid.

* * *

Meanwhile, Danny was upstairs, tossing and turning, having a hard time getting comfortable with the handcuffs as well as having a hard time getting to sleep after all he had on his mind. At last, he fell into a deep, restless sleep out of pure mental exhaustion, but what else was new?

* * *

Later that night, Maddie herd a soft **thud** and awoke. She peered around the darkness, nothing was moving from what she could tell. She quietly got up from her warm bed and silently left to go check on Jazz. She sneaked around the dark hallway, finding the light switch and turning it on. The lights dimly lit the hallway. She stopped when she came to her daughter's door. She opened it ajar, just enough to look through. She found her daughter peacefully sleeping. 

"Well, it definitely wasn't Jazz. Has to be Phantom. I'll go see what he's doing to make so much noise." She concluded.

She continued her journey down the dim passage. She finally came to the guest room door. She inched the door open a crack, careful not to make any noise. She looked at the bed and found it empty. She opened the door a smidge more to find a lump moving violently on the floor. Sure enough, the lump was Danny Phantom, completely tangled up in the blankets. They young ghost boy was tossing and turning, almost like he was fighting something. He was also shivering aggressively.

"He must have fallen off the bed." She figured. It wasn't that hard to believe with the way he was throwing his body across the floor. "Better go wake him up before he hurts himself." She yawned, clearly not pleased about it.

She opened the door enough for her to get in, shedding some light on the scene. She drew closer to the restless figure. Then, she started to hear mumbled shouts.

"No! I…I'm not a freak!" He shouted from underneath the cloth that wrapped around him. His face flashed out from under the blankets to reveal that it was screwed and covered with sweat.

"Sounds like he's in the middle of a nightmare." She observed, now listening intently.

"Please, believe me!" he cried hysterically. Maddie noticed a tear slip down his cheek, blending in with the glisten from the fearful sweat.

"What could _possibly_ be going on in this kid's head to make him shout these things?" Maddie wondered to herself.

"Don't you remember me? I…I thought you wouldn't care, that I'd be accepted for what I am. Please, please, no!" he begged in his sleep. (Hopefully you can figure out what he's dreaming, it's obvious).

"This proves it. Jazz was right; Phantom _is_ suffering from mental torture." Maddie thought.

Danny was still rolling across the floor. Maddie stepped closer and knelt down, placing her hand on his shoulder. She felt his body shiver brutally. She was also expecting for him to feel freezing cold, but other than the slight chill from the nightmare, he was warm. She shook his shoulder gently. _I actually feel sorry for him. I never __thought__ I would show sympathy for a ghost, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Poor kid._ She thought to herself. (Extremely OOC, but I thought that it might be nice for Maddie to show a little sympathy).

She shook him a little harder, he raced to life as his eyes flew open and his body shot upright. He was screaming with the fear left over from the nightmare. He felt his heart beat rapidly against his chest. It was one of his worst nightmares. He was breathing heavily and the sheets still clung to him, the handcuffs were still on as well.

"Relax, it was only a nightmare." Maddie comforted.

Danny turned around fast to face her. He glanced down at his cuffed hands, then, realizing he was still a ghost, stared at her, still in panic.

"What happened? Where am I?" He asked frantically, all of his memories slipping away from him at the moment.

"Did you hit your head when you fell off the bed?" Maddie asked concerned, yet joking a little.

"Fell?" He asked confused. He glanced at the bed and then realized that he was on the floor.

"Do you remember the last few days, why you're here?" Maddie questioned the perplexed ghost.

Danny though about it for a minute before he remembered it all. "Yeah, now I do."

"Now get back in bed." She commanded, but in a more gentle tone.

Danny climbed back up. Maddie was about to leave. "Wait!" Danny exclaimed. Maddie stopped and turned around. "Thanks." Danny said, letting a smile creep onto his face.

Maddie couldn't help but smile too. She left and closed the door. As she made her way back to her own room, she started thinking. _Does he even _know _what he was screaming in his sleep?__ I wonder what he could have been dreaming to make him say those things. Better yet, what has he _been through_ to make him __dream__ those __things?__Jazz was definitely __right;__ he has got to be one of the most complex ghosts or _people_ in__ the world._With that, she had reached her bed and laid down in it, right next to her undisturbed husband.

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**Not much of a cliffie today. Sad face Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP.**

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The next morning, Danny felt Jazz shaking him awake. 

"Danny, wake up." She ordered him.

"No, Jazz. Go away, I'm tired." Danny responded while swatting her hand away.

"I'll get the Fenton Thermos." She taunted in sing-song voice.

"You wouldn't dare." Danny said disbelievingly.

"Wanna bet?" She asked him, taking out the small container. Now she had his attention.

"Fine, I'll get up." He groaned, dragging himself off the bed. His hair was messy from his mid-night struggling and he looked a little tired from his nightmare.

The two walked down the stairs. Jazz was perky as always, while Danny was still a little groggy.

"Hi, sweetie. Great morning, isn't it?" Maddie greeted perkily.

"Is something wrong, Mom?" Jazz asked worriedly. Her Mom wasn't usually this happy.

"Phantom, what'd you do to her?!" Jack accused.

"Nothing, I swear!" Danny said defensively as he held his arms up in defense.

"Jack, he didn't _do_ anything." Maddie responded.

"Jazz, could you show Phantom where the cereal is?" Maddie asked.

"Sure, Mom." Jazz answered, taking out cereal from the pantry and making some for her and Danny.

The four sat at the table, although it took Danny some time to be persuaded that it was okay for him to sit at the table with the ghost hunters.

Jack was twiddling with some ghost hunting equipment.

"Jack, could you put that away? You might scare Phantom." Maddie scolded.

All three eyes then fell on Danny. He was fast asleep with his head in the cereal bowl.

"Danny?" Jazz asked with a puzzled tone. She lifted his face out of the bowl. He had milk dripping from his face and a few cereal pieces stuck to his cheeks and forehead.

After seeing that he was asleep, she let his head fall back into the cereal bowl. This earned curious looks from the two adults.

"Are you going to wake him up?" Jack asked.

"I'm trying!" Jazz flustered while shaking the sleeping ghost boy. "Okay, time to result to despite measures." She stated. She took a deep breath. "Danny, ghost!" She yelled.

Danny instantly lifted his head from the cereal and moved into a battle position. "Ahhh! Where?!" He demanded.

The scene looked quite funny. He looked like he was about to attack something, but his face still had the cereal and milk attached to it. This caused all three Fentons to laugh. Danny looked confused until he found that he had cereal stuck to his face.

"Danny, you dozed off into your cereal bowl." Jazz informed while still laughing.

Danny picked the cereal pieces off of his milk-covered face. "Thanks for that lovely wakeup call by the way." Danny said sarcastically.

"Sorry, but it was the only way to get you up." Jazz told him, still giggling.

Eventually, all of the laughing died and Danny was able to remove all of his breakfast from his face. Then, something unexpected happened; Skulker returned.

"Hello, Ghost Child." He greeted menacingly.

Jack and Maddie readied themselves with ecto-guns and Jazz held the thermos.

"You _really_ don't know when to give up do you?" Danny asked.

"Skulker _never_ gives up." The mechanical ghost claimed.

"Well, maybe you should start." Danny retorted.

"Why should I when I have you right where I want you?" Skulker asked, drawing closer with a charging blaster.

"And where would _that_ be?" Danny questioned sternly, not flinching at all, but standing strong.

"Backed into a corner, not able to use you powers, and no means of help." His enemy replied.

"I disagree." Maddie spoke up, shooting a blast of ecto-energy toward the ghost.

The blast streamed past and hit it's intended target. In response, Skulker fired a green glob to capture the three figures and pin them to the wall.

"No. You leave them alone!" Danny yelled, charging at the ghost.

"And who's going to make me? With those handcuffs on, you're powerless." Skulker stated in his deep tone.

"I'm _never _powerless." Danny said angrily while running over to ghost and delivering a strong kick.

Now the self-proclaimed Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter was furious. He rapidly shot blast from his cannon. Danny jumped and managed to dodge them. Then, he got an idea.

"Hey, Skulker! Over here!" Danny taunted with a smirk.

The robotic ghost fired again. Danny smiled devilishly and held up the handcuffs. The blast shot through the material and shattered the restraints to pieces. Danny rubbed his now free wrists.

"Now, we're even." He informed.

Skulker growled and continued to shoot everywhere. Danny dodged the oncoming beams as he flew as fast as he could, straight for his opponent. The teen fired his ghost rays and his his enemy multiple times. Danny then froze the metal suit and zoomed in to knock his head of with a hard punch. The helmed broke away and Danny pulled out a small green ghost.

"I shall return!" The little ghost claimed in a squeaky voice. Danny phased his hand through the ceiling, pulling out a Fenton Thermos and sucked the tiny ghost inside.

Danny flew over to the members of his family and froze the green glob and fired a ghost ray, shattering it into many frozen chunks.

"You guys okay?" Danny aksed, returning to the ground from his floating position. Danny offered his hand to Jazz to help her up, she graciously accepted and Danny heaved her off the floor.

"Yeah, I think so." Jazz replied.

The Fenton parents just gawked. Danny noticed.

"What?" He asked the baffled duo.

No response.

He looked down to see if he changed back or something. Nope, that wasn't it.

"Do I still have cereal on my face or something?" He questioned.

"You…you helped us." Maddie stammered.

"Why is that surpising? I help everyone. It's what I do." Danny answered.

"But we tried to hurt you, over and over." Jack blurted.

"I'm a better ghost than _that_. I don't hold things against people. If people are in trouble, it doesn't matter who they are or what they did." Danny told them in his heroic tone.

"Guys, you should really give him a second chance. All he wants to do is help." Jazz advised.

"I…uh…we…" Jack stuttered.

"I think what he means is; we're sorry, Phantom." Maddie apologized.

"You have no idea how much that means to me." Danny said thoughtfully, a smile on his face.

* * *

Night came all too quickly an deveryone headed off to bed, but Jazz made a quick stop by Danny's temporary room. 

"Hey, Danny." She greeted, walking in and sitting on the bed beside him.

"Hi, Jazz." He greeted in return. "What's up?"

"I was just wondering, since Mom and Dad think that you're good now, are you going to tell them?" Jazz questioned.

"No. I don't want to worry them. They saw what kind of fights I get into, how do you think thay'd feel if they knew that the kid that they're watching get thrown around was actually their own son?" Danny asked rhetorically.

"I guess you're right. At least they won't be shooting at you anymore." His sister said optimistically.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Jazz."

"Goodnight, little brother."

Jazz walked out the door. Danny settled down and turned off the lights, falling into a peaceful sleep for the fist time in a while.

* * *

Maddie couldn't sleep that night, though. The day's events kept running through her head like a movie. She also couldn't hear any noise from Phantom and couldn't help but wonder if he had flown away now that he had his powers back in his control. Finally, her curiosity got the best of her. She stepped out into the hallway again. She made her way quietly down the the guest bedroom. She cracked open the door once more. 

Phantom was in the provided bed, not shivering, tossing, screamng, anything. He was just sleeping peacefully, something that the ghost boy had not done in a long time. He had a calm smile on his lips. It was kind of cute.

Maddie left the room, her curiosity settled. She walked back to her own room and drifted off to sleep.

Danny's Dream

_Danny was surrounded by his friends and family. His parents had accepted him. He then went from human to ghost and lifted Sam, taking her flying. The two were soaring close to the clouds.__ Sam held on tightly to Danny. They landed on the branch of a beautiful tree. The sun was setting, the sky was __painted in soft pastels, and everything was perfect. Almost.__ Danny and Sam moved closer together. They leaned in close, their lips__clearing the distance._

It was so close, but at that moment, Danny woke up. He was wondering why he was dreaming _that_, but he was also dissapointed that he never got to finish.

He gazed outside the sole window. The moon was still up and the stars were twinkling brightly. A dim glow was cast in his room. After a few more moments, he started to drift off to sleep, but this one wasn't as peaceful.

* * *

**I know, I didn't torture him _too_ much in this chapter and I gave him a break, but that's why I added that last sentence. For all of you people who keep yelling about the cliffhanger; that's how I know that you'll want to read more.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here is the second chapter for today! Hope you like it. BTW, you knew that Danny was going to be tortured at some point.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own DP.**

* * *

_After a few moments, he started to drift off to sleep, but this one wasn't a peaceful._

Danny's nightmare

_He was with his friends and family again, but something felt wrong. He looked at his hands, he was in ghost mode. He heard an evil cackle behind him. He whipped around to find himself face to face with his evil __future__ self._

_"Time is up. Your life as you know it…is over." Dan cackled._

_"No! No, it's not. I'm not evil like you!" Danny shouted, panic running through his entire body._

_"Not yet, but you will be. _This _is what you are destined for." The evil ghost turned Danny around and moved his __outstretched__ arm across the new scene._

_Amity Park was in ruins. The buildings were crumbling and destroyed, the whole view was cast in a red glow from the blazing fires that had spread across parts of the town._

_"You're lying! This won't happen! I'll never be like you!"__ Danny wailed._

_"Ahhh, but it will and the town's not the only thing that you'll destroy." Dan told him._

_Danny looked around hastily, only for his eyes to land on a horrible sight. His parents were lying on the ground, badly bea__en__t up and dead. __His sister and Tucker were gone as well. At last, his eyes fell on the last figure, Sam. __He ran as fast as he could toward the beaten up girl._

_"Sam! No!" He screamed as he reached her. He picked up her head gently. Her eyes flitted open for a moment._

_"Danny, why did you do this?" She asked exasperatedly before finally slipping away. She was joining the others now. She was dead._

_"Sam." The teen cried. He hugged her cold lifeless body._

_"No. This can't happen. I'm not evil." Danny sobbed._

_"But you already are." The dark ghost taunted, aiming a glowing red hand at his past self. A red smoke drifted toward Danny and enveloped him._

_"No! No__ NO!__" He __screeched__ He closed his eyes tight.__ When he opened them, they no longer glowed __that__ friendly green, but a soul-killing red.__ A smirk appeared on his face before he broke out into a __maniacal__ laughter._

Outside of Danny's dream, Maddie was woken once again. Not by a thud this time, but by screams. Phantom's screams. She pulled herself out of bed quickly and raced toward the guest bedroom, Jazz exited her room too as Maddie ran past it. She was also woken by Phantom's cries.

Maddie swung open the door to the guest room. Phantom was still in bed, but was struggling. He looked like he did last night, but worse. The cold sweat was dripping down his face, his teeth were gritted, his eyes were shut as tight as they possibly could be, and he was breathing heavily. Over all, it looked like he was in pain. If he looked like this on the outside, Maddie couldn't _imagine_ what was going on in his head.

"No! I'm not evil! Not like you!" He cried.

The two females rushed over to the bed. Jazz shook his shoulder, only to find it freezing cold.

"Jazz, what's wrong?!" Maddie demanded, hating the sight of the suffering boy.

"I don't know! I know that he's had horrible nightmares before, but not like this!" Jazz replied back in a panic.

"Can't let this happen!" The ghost teen shouted.

Both Maddie and Jazz kept shaking him, but to no avail. He was stuck in the nightmare.

Then, he started screaming again. They were painful screams and it hurt the two women to hear them. Phantom seemed so helpless.

"They can't be gone!" He sobbed.

Phantom began to shake violently.

"Danny, wake up!" Jazz yelled frantically.

The poor boy didn't wake up though. It was like they weren't there at all.

"No! I'm not evil! I'll never turn into you! No. No!" He screeched.

"What is he talking about?!" Maddie demanded.

"I think he's dreaming that he will turn evil." Jazz assumed. "We need to wake him up. NOW!" Jazz hollered.

Jazz threw herself on Danny and hugged him. She sat him upright and had his head lean on her shoulder, holding the shivering boy close to her. His body felt like ice.

"He's freezing. At least he seems to be calming down a little." Jazz told her Mom.

Indeed, Danny was no longer screaming and his heart beat had slowed to a normal rate. His face relaxed along with his tensed muscles. His face was still covered in sweat, though.

"It's okay, Danny. It's over now." His sister assured, rubbing his back soothingly, still holding him close.

"Jazz?" Danny mumbled.

"Danny, what happened?" She asked with concern.

"Nightmare." He muttered. He seemed to still be half asleep.

"Which one?" Jazz continued calmly.

Danny seemed to stir a little opening his eyes half-way. "I…I turned evil. I destroyed everything. And you guys…you were dead." Danny sobbed leaning in closer to his sister.

"Was you-know-who there?" Jazz questioned, not wanting to speak the name.

"Yeah. He said…that I'd turn into him…that's it's my destiny…my future." Danny sobbed.

"It was only a bad dream, that's not going to happen to you, ever." Jazz reassured.

"Promise?" The boy asked.

"Promise." Jazz responded.

Jazz wrapped her aems aroung the boy. He returned the hug. After several moments, they broke apart. Jazz smied softly, causing Danny to do the same.

Maddie had not spoken the whole time and Danny didn't seem to notice her. She didn't want to interrupt the moment. It was so sweet.

"Now go back to bed and try not to have any more nightmares." Jazz told him.

"if it was my choice, you wouldn't be here." Danny joked.

Jazz let out a soft laugh. "Goodnight." She said sweetly before exiting the room with Maddie.

"Care to explain?" Maddie asked once they were out in the hall.

"He dreamed that his worst fear came true. That he'd turn evil and destroy everything and everyone he cares about." Jazz responded.

"His worst fear is turning evil? Why?" Maddie questioned.

"I'm not at liberty to tell you that. He'll have to tell you himself." Jazz told her Mom.

"Well, you'd better go back to sleep." Maddie suggested.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Mom. See you tomorrow." Jazz dismissed as she headed off to bed.

"Goodnight." Maddie said back.

The woman strolled back to her own bed, lying back down. So much was buzzing through her mind, though. _Why is Phantom's greatest fear becoming evil? Who is 'you-know-who?'_ So many questions. They'd have to wait though. Right now, she had a few hours of sleep left.

* * *

**And this concludes double chapter day! I know, I went soft at the end. Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Everything's alright, okay, right? Wrong! Here comes the twist! One of them at least.**

**Disclaimer: Oh, just look at another chapter if you want the freakin' disclaimer!**

* * *

The next morning, Jazz came by Danny's room to wake him up, but couldn't find herself to do it. He looked so happy and peaceful and after what had happened last night, she thought that he deserved this. So she closed the door and continued down the stairs, finding her parents in the lab.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Jazz asked casually.

"Good morning, Jazzy-pants." Jack greeted cheerfully.

"Phantom still sleeping?" Maddie questioned.

"Yeah. I thought we'd let him have _some_ peaceful rest." Jazz said happily. "Besides, it's his last day here."

"Jazz, your father and I were talking and, we thought that, maybe, Phantom could stay here." Maddie informed her daughter.

"If he doesn't find anywhere else." Jack added, clearly not as fond of the idea as his wife.

"I think he might like that." Jazz told her parents.

"You want to go ask him?" Maddie questioned.

"I want to let him sleep first." Jazz conveyed.

Shortly after the red-head finished he sentence, a loud crash was heard.

"Gah!" Screamed a voice that could only be Phantom's.

"How do you fix that suit so fast?!" The ghost kid shouted irritably from the guest bedroom.

"I am the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter, I must be quick." Exclaimed Skulker in response.

"Ahhh!" Came the robotic ghost's scream.

"Not quick enough for that!" Danny shouted. It was quiet so Danny must have sucked Skulker back into the Fenton Thermos.

"I think that he's awake." Jack joked.

"Now I can go talk to him." Jazz declared, heading up the stairs making her way to the guest room.

She opened the door to find Danny cleaning up the trashed room. The furniture was spread all over the place and several things were knocked over.

"Hi, Jazz. I'm just cleaning up the mess that idiot Skulker made. Could you do me a favor and put him back in the Ghost Zone, please?" Danny asked her politely, picking up a table and putting it right-side up again.

"Sure."

He tossed her the Thermos. She caught the cylindrical capturing device.

"Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"I was just talking to Mom and Dad and they said that, after all of this is over, you could stay here." Jazz explained cheerfully.

"I don't think I can." Danny responded while overturning the bed.

"Why?" Jazz asked confused.

Danny stopped the cleaning so that he could turn and look at her.

"Because I can't pull off Fenton _and_ Phantom all of the time. Sure, I can duplicate, but not for that long. Besides, if I tried to pull it off, sooner or later, they'd find out that one of me is half of the other. Plus, I think my experience here is what's causing all these horrible nightmares. I know I get these things a few times a week, but I've never ended up screaming in my sleep because of them before, at least, not this often." The teen clarified.

"But you could…" Jazz began trying to convince her brother.

"Tell them? I already said 'no' Jazz. It will only make things worse. I'll worry them and they might end up in more danger than before." Danny finished. He resumed straightening the room.

Jazz was about to say something else, but realized how hard-headed and stubborn her brother could be. She decided that the conversation was officially over and left to go tell her parents.

"Where's Phantom?" Jack asked as he noticed that the ghost kid wasn't with her when she walked down.

"He's cleaning up the mess that the other ghost made." Jazz replied.

"What did he say, honey?" Maddie questioned.

"He said that he can't. He thinks that will only put us in more danger." Jazz explained sadly.

"What do you mean?" Maddie inquired with confusion on her unmasked face.

"He told me that he has too many ghostly enemies and him staying here would only cause us trouble." Jazz responded, still disappointed.

"Trouble? We hunt _ghosts_, how can they cause us trouble? We are perfectly well qualified to take on any ghost that comes here." Maddie chided with insult.

"I've known him for awhile, he's very protective of others and always thinks of everyone else before himself. It's part of what makes him a hero." Jazz argued on her brother's behalf.

"Fine by me." Jack responded, not really wanting a ghost in his house and not fully convinced that this wasn't all an act. Maddie scolded him.

Jazz walked over to the ghost portal and took out the thermos.

"Honey, what are you doing with the Fenton Thermos?" Maddie asked.

"Since Danny was busy cleaning up, I decided that I'd put the ghost back for him." Jazz answered.

"Why does he have a Fenton Thermos?" Jack questioned accusingly.

"I think Danny must have given it to him or something." Jazz assumed. She thought that Danny probably just took it from the lab one night. Danny never told her that their Dad actually threw it and it hit him in the face.

"Jack, I'm sure that the Ghost Boy didn't steal it." Maddie assured her husband.

"I'm just saying the Ghost Kid doesn't seem the same as when we fight him. I think it's an act." Jack observed.

"Dad, why can't you understand?! It's not an act! The only reason he seems different now is because he's under emotional trauma. How would you feel if you were taken away from your life and forced to live another one? He's scared. You weren't even there last night. You didn't see the same true behavioral patterns that we did." Jazz blurted out. Why couldn't her Dad get it?

"Last night?" Her Dad asked perplexed.

"Last night he had a horrible nightmare and it was even painful to watch him struggle. And you know what else? It was about becoming evil. He's scared of becoming evil. I don't think that he could be a bad ghost if that's what terrifies him the most." Jazz explained.

"I think that it's time we had a little chat with Phantom." Maddie stated.

"Mom, no! That will only cause him to sink lower into his current state of emotional suffering!" Jazz exclaimed.

"Look, honey, there are obviously some things about this kid that are a mystery, but if it's so bad that he can't sleep, then maybe talking would be the best thing to do." Maddie clarified.

"At least let me warn him." Jazz begged.

"Fine. You can talk to him first, but he'd better not fly away afterward." Maddie warned.

Jazz was already racing up the stairs. She banged on the door, but no reply came. "Danny? Danny?! If you're in there, open up or I'll just come in!" She shouted frantically. Still no answer.

She swung the door open to find the room clean and empty. There was a scrap of paper on the neatly made bed. Her heart pounded as she dashed over to it and snatched it. The handwriting was messy and it looked as if it was written in a hurry. She knew what it was before she read it.

_Jazz,_

_Please don't freak out, but I've left. This was supposed to be last house I stay at and neither Vlad __n__or Dash sound too inviting. I don't have a choice, I have to run.__ I'm confused and scared right now and don't know what to do. I haven't thought about what will happen to Danny Fenton, but I just can't stick around her__e__ Maybe you guys will be safer if I'm not there__. I don't know where I'm going, but it can't be here. Bye._

_-Danny_

Jazz broke out of the room in tears.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Maddie asked worriedly. Jazz usually didn't act like this.

"What did that Phantom jerk do?!" Jack inquired accusingly.

"Danny's run away." She sobbed.

"What?!" Jack and Maddie shouted with shock.

"This is what he wrote." She picked up the piece of paper and took careful not to exclude the parts that could expose his secret that he worked so hard to protect.

"_Jazz,_

_Please don't freak out, but I've left. This was supposed to be last house I stay at and neither __of the other two__ sound too inviting. I don't have a choice, I have to run. I'm confused and scared right now and don't know what to do. I just can't stick around here. Maybe you guys will be safer if I'm not there. I don't know where I'm going, but it can't be here. Bye._

_-Danny__"_

By the end of the reading, Jazz was in tears. The Fenton parents just stood there in complete shock.

"Don't worry, sweetie, we'll find him." Maddie assured.

"But, Mom, he doesn't _want_ to be found!" Jazz shouted tearfully.

"Who _knows_ what he could do to himself if he just wanders around?!" Maddie told her daughter. "And I think that he'd be pretty sad and confused without you to guide him." Maddie comforted.

"Wait! I know how to find him!" Jazz shouted hopefully. She ran down to the lab. After a few moments, she came up with the Boo-merang.

"Jazz, that only tracks your brother." Maddie stated.

"But I can fix it! I'll be right back." Jazz ran up to her room, pretending to fix the stupidly-named tracking device.

A few moments later, she rushed back down with the "fixed" Boo-merang.

"Okay everyone, into the Specter Speeder!" Jazz shouted.

No one defied her and they all piled into the vehicle. Jack fired up the rockets and Jazz threw the device. They left the huge building and took to the skies. The quest to find Danny had begun.

* * *

**Please stay tuned for the next chapter! It'll be up tomorrow. Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Back with my daily update. I am sad to report though, that after Friday, I will be gone a week and will no longer be able to update.**

**Disclaimer: I'll put this real simple: Me...no..own...DP.**

* * *

Danny was getting tired. He had been flying at top speed for a while now. He was positive that he was out of Amity Park by now. All the thought of what would happen when Jazz saw the note raced through his mind. But what if his parents read the note? Then they'd know his secret! Oh well, they couldn't find him now. 

"I guess it's safe to take a short brake." He thought exasperatedly.

He slowed down and landed in an alleyway. He turned himself into Danny Fenton because he might be recognized as Danny Phantom, or worse. He sat on the ground and rested his back up against the cold brick wall. He breathed heavily and felt like he was going to pass out. He tilted his head toward the entrance. He couldn't have anyone find him, he had to keep watch.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching, but he was too tired and weak to do anything about it. He just slumped into the shadows. The figure of a man walked by and noticed the heaped up teenage boy.

"Kid? Hey, kid, you okay?" The man asked.

Danny was too tired to reply. Danny's eyes were half closed.

The man rushed over to the raven-haired boy and shook his shoulder. "If you can hear me; nod."

Danny gathered up the strength to nod.

"We have to get you to a hospital or something." The man told the tired teen.

"No. Can't go anywhere. Can't be found." Danny muttered, not completely aware of what he was saying.

"What are you talking about? You're clearly not in the state to just stay here. Did you run away?" The man interrogated.

Danny just looked away. He was so tired, but he couldn't let anyone find him. They'd put up "Found" posters and then his parents would find them and that could lead to suspicion.

"I'm fine; I just needed to rest for awhile." Danny lied. He heaved his body up and used all of the strength that he could muster to run around the corner and go ghost, taking to the sky as he did so. Hidden from sight, he watched the man run around the corner and look around in confusion.

Danny decided that it was time to set off again. He flew, more slowly this time, in the opposite direction of which he came. The sun was going down and the sky was painted in pastels. The clouds looked so soft and the night time air began to take over, giving off a cool, pleasant feeling. Danny yawned.

"Can't stop now. Have to get away." He thought tiredly.

The first few stars began to twinkle and night was on its way. He gazed down at the city below him. It was so peaceful. He wished that he could stop and sleep, but that wasn't an option. He had to find a place where no one could find him.

"Perfect." He smiled as his eyes fell upon a small clearing in the forest. He slowly descended. His feet lightly touched the ground. Forgetting all about changing back, he laid down in the soft green grass and closed his fiery green eyes. Danny was so close to sleep until…

Something hit him in the head hard. He rubbed his soar head and sat up, opening his sleep-misted eyes.

"Oh, no." He groaned as he picked up the Boo-merang.

Seconds later, the Specter Speeder appeared in the sky. Danny turned invisible, trying to hide himself from the searching trio. The Speeder landed and Jazz walked over to the tracking device that way lying on the ground. She picked it up and studied it carefully.

"Danny must be here. It doesn't stop until it finds him." Jazz assumed.

Danny began to panic. He launched himself from the ground, but only got a few feet off the ground. Jazz threw the stupidly-named-tracking device again and it hit Danny in the head, causing him to turn visible and fall to the ground.

"Danny/Phantom/Ghost Kid!" The three shouted happily.

Jazz ran up and hugged him like a boa constrictor. "Don't you _ever_ run away again!" She scorned, but still excited. "You have no idea how worried we were."

"Okay, I get it. You missed me. Now can you please let go so I can breathe?" Danny asked jokingly.

"Sorry." Jazz released and Danny took a big breath of oxygen.

"What did you think you were doing?!" Jack demanded.

"You could've gotten hurt!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Well that would be _new_, wouldn't it?" Danny mumbled sarcastically. "I couldn't stay back in Amity. I had no choice." Danny explained.

"Come on. Get into the Speeder so we can go back." Jazz ordered.

"No! I'm not _going_ back!" Danny yelled, making a break for it.

Danny soon found himself in a ghost proof net. "Hey, let me go!" Danny commanded.

"No, Danny. You can't run away from your problems." Jazz replied.

"Can too!" He retorted, bursting through the net. He hovered a few feet off the ground.

Jazz jumped at him and held his arm. Danny looked down at her sad expression and landed.

"Danny, I know you're confused. I know that you're scared of what might happen to you. We can talk about this and I can help you get through it. You always do." Jazz said with concern.

Danny sighed. "You're probably right, but I can't do this. I can't become part of another family." Danny responded.

Jazz hugged him comfortingly. "Danny, it's okay. We'll figure something out." Jazz comforted.

It took a good amount of will power to keep Danny from crying. He fought back the tears and held tighter onto his sister. This was one of the times that he was really glad to have her.

"Maybe Sam and Tucker figured something out." Jazz suggested.

Danny pulled away from the hug to nod with a little grin. "Jazz, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Thanks. Now come on, let's go." Jazz ordered with a smile. She led the still worn Danny into the Specter Speeder.

"Everyone ready?" Maddie asked from the passenger's seat.

"Yeah." Jazz responded.

"Here we go." Jack declared, driving the Speeder away, back toward Amity Park, toward home.

Danny yawned from inside the Speeder. He was still tired.

"You should get some sleep. I'll wake you up when we're back." His sister told him.

"Thanks." Danny said before drifting off to sleep on his sister's shoulder.

* * *

About an hour or two later, the Speeder landed back at Fenton Works. "We're back!" Jack shouted. 

Maddie glanced behind her to see Phantom still sleeping on Jazz's shoulder, her looking softly down at the sleeping teen. "You know, honey; I think he really looks up to you like a big sister." Maddie commented.

"I kind of think of him as a little brother as well." Jazz admitted.

"You going to wake him up?" Maddie asked.

"I guess I have to." Jazz responded. "Come on, Danny, time to wake up." Jazz soothed as she gently shook his shoulder.

Danny opened his eyes slowly, everything blurry at first, but gradually coming into focus. "Jazz?"

"We're back, Danny." His sister said quietly.

Danny yawned and straightened up. Jazz stood up and helped him out of the vehicle.

"Have a nice rest?" Maddie questioned kindly, but with a hint of humor.

Danny nodded.

"You'd better head upstairs; you have a big day tomorrow." Jazz suggested.

"What?" Danny asked puzzled.

"Two more houses signed up for the program." Jazz informed.

"Will the torture never end?!" he screamed.

"Very funny. Bed. Now." His sister ordered. She gave him a little push causing him to stumble. He phased up through the roof and onto the bed.

"Uh, oh. I'm supposed to be home tomorrow. I know, I'll just call them and tell them that I'll be late…by six days. This isn't going to end well." He concluded, taking out his cell phone. He quickly dialed the home number. He could hear it ringing downstairs. The other end picked up.

"Danny?" His Mom's voice asked.

"Yeah. I just called to say that I'm going to be a little late." Danny responded.

"How late?"

"About six days."

"What?! Danny, how could you possibly be on a camping trip for a total of fifteen days?!"

"There's just so much to do that…we didn't get to try everything yet. Besides… it's…really nice out here." Danny stuttered in reply.

"Okay, Danny, but six days and that's it!" Maddie warned.

"Okay, love you! Bye!" He rushed, hanging up the phone.

"Yes! It worked. Let's just hope that it's final this time." Danny thought to himself. He yawned. "I guess I'd better get _some_ sleep. No telling who they'll dump me on tomorrow."

Danny settled down and fell gently asleep. For the first time, he didn't have any nightmares.

* * *

**Awww. Happy ending! Too bad that the story's not over and I'm the one writing it. Review please!**

**Danny: Can't you give me a break for once?**

**Me: I just did.**

**Danny: Do I have to be tortured in _every_ chapter?**

**Me: Yes, you do. Now shut up!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Danny's happy time is over now. Time for more torture!**

**Me: Lucky for you, Danny, I have considered giving you a short brake and you will get it...next chapter.**

**Danny: Wait, how short?**

**Discalimer: Just the usual.**

* * *

The next morning came way too fast. Jazz ran into his room and shook him awake, telling him that the agents would be here in ten minutes. Danny grumbled out of bed and was pulled downstairs by his frantic sister.

"Jazz, whoever it is, I'm sure I can handle it." Danny said calmly.

"Well, they haven't had very good choices _so_ far." Jazz snapped.

"I think that they've run out of human enemies." Danny joked.

"Just be careful." The red-head warned.

"I will." Danny moaned tiredly.

"Promise?"

"Yes, Jazz, I promise." Danny was trying to keep his cool.

"I guess that's them." Danny assumed. He headed toward the door, where Jack, Maddie, and the two guards were waiting. Jazz put her hand on his shoulder. Danny turned around.

"Do I get a goodbye hug?" She joked.

"Jazz." Danny snapped.

"Please?" She put on the big cute puppy eyes and stuck out her lower lip.

"Fine." Danny murmured, giving his sister a quick hug before walking to the door.

"Wrists." One ordered.

Danny put out his arms and they snapped the cuffs on him. His hands were bound once more. He sighed as he stared at the accessory.

The two men led him out to the black car again. He routinely got into the middle and was secured by the two muscular men.

"So…I'm in for two more houses?" Danny questioned.

"Yes." The man to his right confirmed.

"Can you tell me who they are?" Danny inquired.

"We are told not to release any information." The guard replied.

Danny sighed. This was getting really boring. The car slowed down once again, and once again, Danny was thrown into the sunlight. The area surrounding them didn't look too nice. The buildings were old and a few of them were condemned. The air wasn't as clean and had a certain smoky look and smell. They were stopped right outside what looked like an old apartment building.

"Okay, calm down. It could be anyone in that building. Besides why would she want me to live with her? There is no guarantee that it's Valerie." Danny thought to himself nervously.

The gigantic men lead him up a series of stairs. The hallways were dimly lit and the whole place smelled a little dusty. They finally stopped climbing and went down a hall. Several doors passed by as they moved on. Danny was growing extremely nervous. They were getting awfully close to Valerie's apartment. The two men finally stopped outside a door, but not just any door, the entrance that he least wanted to stop at, Valerie's door.

The man on Danny's right banged on the old door. Noises were heard from the other side. The doorknob turned and a tall, dark-skinned man with scarce black hair pulled open the door, Valerie's Dad.

"Oh, great. They probably just want to torture me." Danny mumbled to himself.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Grey?" The man to Danny's left questioned.

During this time, Danny took the opportunity to slide further and further back.

"Yes." Valerie's Dad answered.

"Have you recently signed up for the trial adoption of Danny Phantom?" The guard questioned.

"Yes." The African-American man replied, waiting for them to go on.

Danny was shocked, but continued slipping away. He was so close. Just a little farther and he could make a break for it.

"Don't even try it, kid." One of the guards ordered, grabbing Danny by the shirt collar.

Danny gave a small yelp as he was pulled back.

Danny stared up helplessly at Mr. Grey. This was _not_ going to end well. The guards walked away, now that Danny couldn't really escape.

"Daddy, who is it?" Valerie asked from another room. She walked through into the main room and caught a glimpse of the door. She noticed Danny right away. When you think about it, he's kind of hard to miss. White hair, glowing green eyes, and black and white HAZMAT suit? Yeah, obvious.

"You?!" Valerie yelled, racing to the door angrily.

Danny flinched. He was at the mercy of the girl who wanted to destroy him.

Her father was the only thing that kept her from pummeling him into a pulp. "Why are _you_ here Phantom?"

"To tell you the truth, I have absolutely _no idea_. It's not like I came here of free will." Danny answered truthfully.

Valerie wanted to tear him apart.

"Valerie, stop, now." Her Dad commanded.

"But Daddy, he's the ghost that destroyed our lives!" Valerie pointed out furiously.

Danny just looked around in confusion. What was going on? Why didn't Valerie's Dad let her attack him?

Valerie's Dad grabbed both Danny and Valerie by the arm and pushed them onto separate couches.

"Here is the deal;" He started sternly. "The fights between the two of you are getting way too dangerous. To fix this problem, Phantom is staying here so that you two can work out a truce. Valerie; no weapons. Phantom: no powers. Got it?" The two teens nodded with mouths wide open.

"Good." Damon said sternly. "The quicker you to come to an agreement, the easier it will be for you."

This was the beginning of a very awkward day.

* * *

**Review please!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi again! Sadly, this will be my last update until sometime next week. : ( Then I will resume updating constantly. Thanks to ghostanimal, this chapter has been modified from its original version to better suit the desires expressed by said author. The recomendation for the story along with all alterations made to the original story layout to support this idea have been marked in bold. That is all.**

**Disclaimer: Oh, just look at the other 14 chapters you lazy people!**

* * *

Danny and Valerie stared suspiciously at each other for a few moments after their Dad had left. They were both expecting for the other to attack any minute. Danny gave up on the staring contest and sighed, slouching in the chair. "I give up." He stated tiredly. 

"What?" Valerie asked in confusion.

"We're never gonna work this problem out." Danny thought pessimistically.

"Nope." She agreed.

"Since we're stuck with each other for a few days, let's just act like we did on Skulker's island." Danny suggested.

"You mean; call a temporary truce?" Valerie questioned.

"Basically." Danny confirmed.

"And why should I trust you?" She spat suspiciously.

"Because we don't have very many options right now." Danny replied.

"Fine, but once this is over, I'm back to hunting you." She claimed.

"I kinda figured." Danny said dejectedly.

Valerie showed no sympathy for the ghost.

"Stop pretending to be sad, Phantom. It won't help you." She ordered, standing up to gain a more dominant appearance.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to lure her away. He shouldn't have said it that way. Why was he so bad at this?

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You're pretending to be sad so that I'll start going easy on you. I'm not stupid. I know that ghosts can't feel emotions like that." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Then you don't know much. Why don't we at least _try_ to get along for the next three days? I don't want to be here just as much as you don't want me here, but we don't have a choice." Danny blurted irritably, standing up as well to match her.

"If you want to call a truce so badly, then why are you still fighting?!" She shouted.

"Because I'm _trying_ to defend myself! You think I _like_ being treated like dirt?! You think I _like_ having to fight with you?! You think I _like_ risking my life to save everyone and then being kicked around by someone who can't even come close to understanding what I go through?! You don't know _anything _about me, so you don't have the right to accuse me of anything!" Danny shouted annoyed, finally having enough of her. What did he ever see in her? Sam was right, them braking up was for the best.

"What could a **ghost** possibly go through that would be so difficult?!" Valerie questioned.

"How many kids do _you_ know that have to worry about protecting a town?! About maybe not being _alive_ for tomorrow? About maybe never being able to see their friends again? About having their heart torn at every day? About the possibility of having everyone think they're a freak? About trying to prevent becoming evil and destroying everything you care about? You'd never be able to understand! As much as I want things to go back to the way they were sometimes, I know that they can't. So don't say that there is no way that my life could be difficult, because I assure you that it's _ten times_ harder than yours!" Danny shouted.

Valerie was at a loss for words. All she could do was gape at the steaming ghost boy. His eyes were glowing fiercer and angrier that she'd ever seen before. Usually, he didn't lose control and start acting like this. "Well, I…I…uh…"She stuttered.

"Finally realizing that it isn't as easy as it seems? That's not even the half of it." He steamed.

"What makes you think you know _my_ life?" Valerie questioned, but not sounding as strong as she intended.

"I know _a lot_ more than you think I do. If I told you, you'd be scared about how much information I posses." Danny responded, still not completely cooled off.

"Oh, yeah? Prove it." The ghost huntress challenged.

"Let's just drop it." Danny told her, slightly calmer.

"Not until I get some answers." Valerie protested.

"Fine, but don't say I didn't warn you." Danny warned. Valerie just gave him a disbelieving look. "You were kicked out of the popular crowd once you lost all of your money. You got your first ghost hunting weapons and suit from Vlad Masters. The second one was from a technology ghost named Technus. You can hold grudges for _way_ too long. You're stubborn. You liked a boy named Danny Fenton, but dumped his so that you could spend your time trying to kill me…" Danny rambled.

"Okay! Stop already!" Valerie interrupted.

"Had enough?" Danny asked playfully.

"Yes and how did you know that I liked Danny Fenton?" Valerie interrogated.

Danny mentally smacked himself for that one. "I have my ways." He said coolly.

"What, are you stocking me?" Valerie questioned panicked.

"No!" Danny replied disgusted. Stocking people was Vlad's job.

"Fine, I guess we'll drop the subject now."

"Good. The less arguments; the easier the next three days will be." Danny concluded.

* * *

Night came slowly for the two teens. They tried to ignore each other for the whole day. Danny slept on the couch that night, seeing as there was little space. He moved himself into a position on the couch so that he could see the stars. He always loved looking at them; maybe it was because he wanted to be an astronaut when he grew up. Although, he sometimes thought that his dream would never come true because of his ghost fighting. 

Danny tried to get to sleep, but he simply couldn't. He tossed, turned, and tried several different positions on the couch. His mind was weighed down with too many thoughts. He wished that it could all end and he could get some rest. "Its official, getting to sleep is hopeless." He admitted to himself.

"Can't sleep?" A voice out of the dark asked.

Danny jumped up from the couch and into his battle stance-or as close as he could get with the handcuffs.

"Relax, it's just me." Valerie told him as she stepped out of the darkness and into the light given by the window. She was wearing a yellow nightgown and her hair hung loose, no longer contained in her headband.

"And that's supposed to relax me, how?" Danny quipped.

"You're hilarious." She retorted sarcastically.

"What are you doing up?" Danny questioned curiously.

"I can't sleep either." She replied. "Can I join you?"

It seemed like the fact that it was the middle of the night and neither of them had gotten any proper sleep was clogging their senses and causing their minds to stop functioning normally.

"I thought that you hated me?" Danny inquired in puzzlement.

"_Hate_ is a little strong. I'll admit; I don't like you, but I guess we have to get along for now." Valerie responded.

Danny scooted over as Valerie sat next to him. This was incredibly awkward. He felt like Valerie was going to pull a gun out any minute.

"Calm down, I don't have any guns." She said, reading his thoughts. Danny sighed in relief.

"You think that we'll ever get along without being forced to?" Danny asked with a slightly spacey tone.

"I don't know. Why do you want to call a truce so badly?" responded the girl.

"Face it; this feud has ruined both of our lives in some way. Besides, I don't like having to fight with humans." Danny answered.

"You're not like the other ghosts, are you?" She started to catch on.

"If only you knew." Danny muttered almost incoherently.

"You could tell me." She said calmly. **She absentmindedly moved a little closer.**

Okay, the lack of sleep was _definitely_ clogging their brains.

"It's not that simple." The ghost boy answered mysteriously. **He turned his head slightly away, attempting to not show her the emotions and to avoid giving her a basic idea of what the heck was going on in his head right now.**

"You're a mystery, you know that?" Valerie stated.

"So I've been told." Danny cracked. He couldn't help but let a smirk form on his lips.

Valerie yawned. "I think I'm going to get some sleep now."

"Me too." Danny agreed sleepily.

**Valerie landed a small kiss on his cheek before standing up and heading off. Danny blushed slightly and moved his hand to his reddened cheek where she had kissed him. A small pleasurable smile fomred on his lips. Valerie gave him a quick unnoticed glace, observing him with his face red and looking like he enjoyed it. She couldn't exactly say that she hadn't liked kissing him so softly like that. She found it almost pleasurable. She turned her away head before he discovered her.**

Valerie retreated back to her bedroom and Danny resumed a comfortable position on the couch.

"Maybe she's not so bad after all." Danny mumbled almost deliriously as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**See! I gave Danny a little break. Although, as I have said before, the whole kiss was not my idea. If you want to see my original, just skip all of the bold parts. Depending on reactions I get from this event, I may or may not make this section such an major/obvious part of the story. Like I said, they were both mildly delerious, so whether or not this plays a bigger role can be determined. Please review! I'll be gone for the next week, though, but I'd appreaciate it anyway.**

**See you in a week!**


	16. Chapter 16

**First chapter after my vacation. (BTW, I did not change the last chapter). This first part is kinda funny, but it takes a dramatic turn later on.**

**Disclaimer: This is the last time I'm doing this because everyone should I don't own DP after the sixteenth chapter.**

* * *

The next morning, after both of the teens had gotten some sleep, Danny woke up to someone tapping his shoulder.

"Five more minutes." He groaned sleepily.

The tapping turned into a slight shaking.

"Go away, Jazz." He commanded deliriously. He'd obviously forgotten where he was. The tired ghost boy moved his shoulder and swatted the hand away.

A soft laugh was heard, but it was completely ignored by the sleeping teen. A few moments later, the tapping and shaking resumed.

"What?" Danny mumbled despairingly. He was so tired. His eyes remained closed.

"Do you even know where you are?" A female voice questioned with a slight hint of entertainment in her tone. Bugging the ghost kid could be so much fun!

Now Danny was wide awake. All of his memories were rushing back to him. He shot up wide-eyed and ended up falling off the coach screaming. He lay on the floor, gazing up at the dark skinned girl standing over him. Valerie was laughing insanely now. Danny pulled himself off of the floor and stood up, rubbing his soar head.

"Ha ha, very funny." He moaned sarcastically.

"Yes, it was." She retorted, still in her laughing fit.

"You can stop now." He urged.

Valerie's laughter died down. "Ghost kid not like getting up early?"

"What time is it?" Danny inquired bored.

"Seven." She responded.

"Seven? Is it even possible to wake up that early after going to sleep so late?" Danny droned.

"Get used to it, Phantom." She said with an unusually bright tone. He guessed that the morning entertainment, a.k.a. him, was enough to put her in a good mood.

"How hard is it to call me by my first name? Everyone just keeps calling me Phantom…that or Ghost Kid. Both are kinda demeaning." Danny stated irritably.

"You'd rather be called by your first name?" She asked interested. She thought that he had preferred 'Phantom' because of its ghostly sound.

"Do I call you Gray?" he asked in return.

"Fine, I get the point…_Danny_." She snapped. It felt a little awkward to be calling him Danny; after all, she dated and liked a boy named Danny. It was sort of ironic how the ghost that she disliked and the boy that she loved had the same first name. Come to think of it, there were tons of ironic coincidences and similarities. She shook it off. Danny _Fenton_ and Danny _Phantom_ were two **entirely** different people.

Danny smiled in victory. "So…what now?"

"I don't know. My Dad's going to be gone for a little while. Are you hungry? That is, if ghosts even need to eat." Valerie questioned. She was starting to get used to him and he sometimes seemed more human than ghost. She thought that it was due to last night that she didn't hold as much dislike for the ghost.

"Not really." He lied. His stomach started growling. It was almost as if to tell him not to deny the fact that he hadn't eaten in almost a full day. Danny was incredibly embarrassed.

This only humored Valerie more. This kid's awkwardness and embarrassment was quite entertaining. She chuckled softly. "Not according to your stomach." She cracked. An amused smile was planted firm on her face.

"Stupid stomach." Danny mumbled.

Valerie poured some cereal for both of them. She passed one bowl down to Danny. Danny stirred the spoon around in it nervously for a while. Something was just…off. It didn't feel right or maybe it was just too right for him to believe it.

"Are you actually going to eat it? I promise that there's no poison in it." She joked.

Now Danny knew what was so weird. Yesterday, they had been complete enemies and now she was acting all nice.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked. His anxiousness had finally got the better of him.

"What? I can't be nice without being accused of doing something wrong?" She snapped.

"No. It's not that it's just that, no offence, but yesterday you would've gone trigger-happy on me and now you're joking and laughing."Danny answered.

"I don't know. I guess you just don't seem as evil when we're not locked in battle." She responded.

"Oh." He said, tilting his face down a little, feeling slightly guilty for suspecting something and somewhat hurt that she thought he was really that evil in battle. He started spooning up the cereal and filling his ravenous stomach.

Suddenly, Danny didn't feel too good. He felt weak and exhausted. His head drooped a little and his eyes closed half way. His spoon dropped into the bowl and he grabbed his head.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good." Valerie commented.

Danny shook his head as if that would get rid of his sudden wave of weakness. "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied quickly, trying to hide his daze-like state.

Valerie remained suspicious. She could tell that he was lying. He looked like he was about to pass out! "Maybe you should lie down." Valerie suggested, beginning to feel worried about the ghost boy.

"I said I'm fine." Danny replied tiredly. He knew that he definitely wasn't fine, but he didn't want Valerie to see him like that. He just _hated_ appearing weak.

Danny stood up with some difficulty and made his way to the couch. He never got there. Half-way he had to stop and grab his throbbing head. He shut his eyes tight and clenched his teeth. A soft groan escaped his mouth. Then, there was nothing. The world around him grew darker and darker until it slipped completely into blackness. He fell unconscious.

His body gave way and stumbled to the hard floor. Valerie gasped and rushed over. She knelt by his side, turned him onto his back, and shook him.

"Danny! Danny, wake up!" She yelled frantically. She knew right away that this wasn't one of those non-serious pass outs, but something severe. She moved his floppy head onto her lap gently, hoping that it would help in some way.

The unconscious boy remained unresponsive. Valerie was now in a complete panic. She knew that she didn't like him yesterday and would have been glad if this had happened, but now that she was coming to terms with the ghost and gradually falling into a peaceful truce; she didn't want this to happen.

Her father walked in through the door and was in shock when he witnessed the scene. His daughter was sitting on the floor with her enemy's comatose head on her lap and completely alarmed. Her head shot his way.

"Daddy, we need help fast!" she exclaimed worriedly.

"What happened?" he demanded, concerned about his daughter's sudden behavior.

"I don't know! All of a sudden he started to look really tired and then he passed out!" She shouted in panic.

Damon dialed 9-1-1 on the phone and started blabbering into the speaker, caught up in the drama of the moment. Valerie kept her eyes on Danny, hoping that he'd wake up soon. She didn't know why this ghost suddenly meant so much to her. It was like she knew him from somewhere and she'd been friends with him for a while.

She watched as something odd happened. His hair seemed to flicker to black for a moment before resuming its usual snow white. She was confused, but didn't give it a second thought.

"They'll be here shortly, but they're not sure how much they can do for him." Valerie's Dad told her.

Valerie stared back at the ghost kid. He didn't seem like the ghost she thought he was. He wasn't the ghost who was stubborn and hard-headed; he was the ghost who was weak and helpless. She couldn't help but think of him as a human at this moment more than a ghost. It was an unexplainable feeling. She felt like she was being jabbed in the heart. Why was she feeling like this all of a sudden? Was she really going soft? She took another glance at him. Now she knew what it was. He reminded her of Danny Fenton. They had the same quirky personality and even looked a bit alike.

There was a loud knock on the door. Valerie's Dad swung the door open to reveal a team of paramedics with a stretcher. Damon let them enter and they proceeded to load the unconscious ghost boy onto the stretcher. Valerie felt like she had already lost him as one of the paramedics lifted his head off of her lap.

Valerie and her father followed the team out as they headed toward the ambulance. Danny was lifted into the white vehicle and Valerie was allowed to accompany him in the back. She felt the car move as it sped down the road.

"Miss, can you tell me what happened?" One of the doctors asked. He had a note pad in his hand, ready to record what she said.

"He was staying at my house as part of the program and we were eating breakfast when all of a sudden, he looked like he was really tired and weak. I told him that he should go lay down, but he said that he was fine. When he got up and left the table, he passed out in the middle of the floor." She explained hurriedly.

"Did he appear to have a headache?" The man questioned.

"Yes." She replied.

"What food were you having for breakfast? This might be caused by an allergy or some chemical reaction." The man continued.

"It was just cornflakes and milk." She responded.

The man scribbled the last piece of information onto his notepad before closing it up.

"Thank you. I think that's all we need." He said professionally.

Valerie's attention returned once again to Danny. It happened again; his hair faded into black and then returned to normal, but she also noticed that his clothes flickered a differed color for a moment too, but not long enough for her to get a good look. No one else noticed the strange phenomena.

* * *

A short while later, everyone was crowded into a hospital room. Valerie and Damon were forced to watch from a window. Doctors scurried around everywhere. 

"Valerie, I thought that you didn't like this ghost?" Her Dad asked. Yesterday, she was all for destroying him and now she was almost in tears because he wasn't in good health.

"I didn't, but then I began to realize that he was actually pretty nice." She didn't tell him that he reminded her of Danny Fenton. She also didn't tell him about their little encounter the previous night.

After a while, the doctors began to grow scarce and the two were allowed into the room. Valerie walked up to his bedside. She had to fight back tears. She had finally made friends with this ghost and now she was going to lose him. The girl noticed that his usually bright white aura had faded substantially and his skin was slightly paler.

She laid her hand softly on his chest, right over his DP symbol. She felt a steady beat, like a heartbeat. In fact, it was a heartbeat. She was puzzled as to why he had a heartbeat, but then again, nothing about this ghost was normal.

"Please be okay." She prayed.

* * *

A little while later, the doctor came in and addressed the two. 

"Excuse me, but we have decided that due to that fact that this young man is a ghost, we should have ghost experts come in. Therefore, the Fentons have been asked to come over and will be here shortly." He informed Valerie and her Dad. The two nodded.

No matter how hard Valerie tried to get her mind off of the ghost kid, something about him kept drawing her mind back to him. She glanced over for the umpteenth time that day. Still breathing slowly, still knocked out.

In a few minutes, Jack and Maddie came into the room and the Grays were ushered out. They kept close watch by the window. The two looked pitifully down at Danny Phantom. It was like they had the same feeling that she did. They began doing various tests on him.

All of a sudden, loud and fast footsteps echoed down the hallway and Valerie turned to see Sam and Tucker rushing to the window.

"Danny!" The two shouted worriedly. Both then noticed that Valerie was standing there.

"What are _you_ doing here, Valerie?" The Goth girl spat.

"Same thing you are." Valerie snapped, but her face fell down into sadness once again. She had admitted it out load now, she felt sorry for a ghost.

"Aren't you usually trying to kill him?" Tucker shot off his big mouth.

"How'd you know that?" The angry ghost hunter snapped.

"I…uh…That wasn't the question." Tucker stuttered.

"Fine. My Dad signed us up for the program to get us to stop fighting and I realized that he wasn't _too_ bad." She replied, hating to admit that she was wrong.

"What happened?!" Sam shouted frantically, now remembering why they were there.

"He passed out on the middle of the floor." Valerie responded sorrowfully.

Before Sam could start yelling again, the two Fenton parents walked out of the room, carrying a few documented sheets. A herd of doctors gathered around. The three teens and Mr. Gray huddled up as well.

"We've gathered the information and it is extremely…what's the word?" Jack started, but then had to whisper to his wife.

"Complex, dear." Maddie responded.

"Right. The information we have gathered is extremely _complex_." The enormous man stated.

"There are several symptoms that point to complete exhaustion, but based on out information, nothing has occurred to cause him that. He hasn't been using his powers frequently. This is the most popular idea based on his symptoms, but we also have a few theories." Maddie concluded.

"A complete (looks down at clipboard) mental break down, shutting off all nerves and body systems other than those needed to survive." Jack read.

"The other is that this could be a side-effect of not using his powers for so long and keeping mass amounts of energy stored up. We have few leads that either of the last two would be his diagnosis, but they seem the most likely to happen." Maddie finished.

"We don't need to know what's wrong; we need to know how to fix it." Sam snapped.

"All he needs is a long rest and he should be fine." Jack responded.

"Sam, aren't you and Danny supposed to be camping?" Maddie asked.

"We came back to get something. We'll be going back tomorrow. He said that he went to go get the…thing while I stayed here." She lied.

"Okay." Maddie replied, letting the lie slip.

As soon as they were allowed, the three teens crowded into the hospital room. Sam ran up to his bed. She threw herself on him and hugged him, her tears falling onto his face.

"Danny, please wake up." She begged.

Danny began to stir. His eyes opened slightly. His vision was blurred and he was still too exhausted to stay awake for long.

"Sam?" He asked hoarsely.

"Danny!" the three teens shouted happily. Sam was the loudest.

"Danny, are you okay? What happened?" Sam asked anxiously.

"I'm really tired. Everything's fading again…Sam." He passed out once again.

"Danny! No!" She shouted tearfully.

"Don't worry, he'll be alright." Tucker reassured, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Valerie just watched the two mourn over their unconscious friend. They really seemed to know him. She suddenly felt misplaced; like she didn't belong in this picture. She was the girl who had tried countless times to kill this boy and here she was, being friendlier with him for not even a day and standing in a room of people who have known him a lot longer.

A team of doctors instantly rushed in along with the ghost hunters.

"What did he say?" Jack demanded.

"He said he was really tired and that everything was fading again." Sam told them.

"This proves that it must be over-exhaustion." Maddie concluded.

"But why would he be exhausted?" Jack asked.

"It could have been physical or mental exhaustion." She stated.

The adults then started discussing the symptoms, the diagnosis, everything.

Only Sam and Tucker knew the answer. He had to maintain ghost form for too long and it was sucking up his energy. Everyone else in the room had no clue.

* * *

**Told you it took a turn. You guys know I can't _not_ torture Danny. This is where the real complications begin to set.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Yeah, I know; my timing is slipping a little.**

* * *

Night time rolled around and Danny was still unconscious. He hadn't waken up since that last little encounter with Sam. He had stirred from time to time, or moved ever so slightly, but still unresponsive.

"Excuse me; can we stay the night with him?" Sam asked one of the doctors that walked by every few hours. By "we" she meant Tucker and herself. Valerie's Dad had taken her away a little while ago. It was getting really late. The sun had gone down a few hours ago. Plus, he hated the sad look on her face every time she glanced at Danny.

"I'm sorry, but we can only allow one night visitor." She replied.

"Sam, you stay. Both of know that you need to be here with him more than anyone and that _you're_ the one he'll want to see first when he wakes up." Tucker told the Goth girl.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked him.

"Absolutely." He responded.

"Okay, so Miss Manson will be staying here with him over night." The doctor stated as she scribbled something down on a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard. "Please call your parents to tell them where you are."

Sam took out her phone. "I won't be back home tonight. I'm sleeping over a friend's. Okay, bye." She rushed out and slammed the phone shut before her parents could even respond.

* * *

Soon enough, everyone had left. The doctors stopped coming into the room and Sam was instructed to call them if something happened to Danny Phantom. The halls were dark and Danny was moved to a recovery room. Sam sat by his bed, watching, waiting. 

"Danny, please be okay." She begged. She grasped his gloved hand.

She felt his body twitch. "S…Sam?"

"Danny." She had to say it softly so that she wouldn't attract the attention of the doctors.

Danny opened his eyes. He lay down (A/N the handcuffs were removed when he got there) with his arms by his sides and looking tiredly up at his best friend.

Danny, you have to tell me what happened." She whispered.

He made a weak effort to sit up before Sam laid her hand on his chest, indicating for him to stay down. "I'm not exactly sure. I remember being at Valerie's and I just started to feel tired and weak. Then I got a huge headache and passed out." He explained weakly, but slowly gaining some strength.

"The doctors think that you passed out from exhaustion, but they have no idea why you'd be that tired. It's from maintaining your ghost form for so long, isn't it?"

"Probably. I think I've been slowly losing my energy. I don't know how much longer I can keep it up."

"You should rest then."

"Sam, just staying in ghost form is costing me almost as much energy as I'm gaining."

"Then change back for the night. No one's here and I'll wake you up tomorrow." She ordered.

"I don't know." Danny replied doubtfully.

"Danny." She urged.

"I don't know what I'd do without you." Danny told her with a faint smile. He summoned the two rings and regained his human form that he hadn't been in for days. It looked just as tired as his ghost form.

Already, Danny felt better. "Danny, before you go to sleep, I have to tell you that…" Her words were a lost cause as Danny had already drifted away into a deep slumber. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

* * *

"Danny! Danny, wake up!" Sam persisted. She shook him. 

Danny's eyes opened. He sat up, using his hands and arms to sturdy himself.

"Danny, it's time to wake up and change back." She told him frantically. The doctors would be here any minute.

Danny obeyed and became a ghost again. A nurse walked in right as he finished changing.

"Oh, you're awake." She stated surprised. Danny looked around, now awake enough to realize that he was in a hospital. Both Danny and Sam now looked at the nurse.

"The doctor will be in here momentarily." She said before exiting the room.

"What happened?" Danny questioned his best friend.

"After you passed out, you were taken to the hospital. Tuck and I heard and we rushed over to make sure that you were okay. I was allowed to stay here over night. By the way, I told you're parents that Danny _Fenton_ and I were just stopping back here temporarily and then heading back out." She explained.

"Thanks." Danny said gratefully.

"No problem."

A doctor walked into the room. "I see that someone's feeling better."

Danny felt a little embarrassed. He was the big hero and here he was; in the hospital, having passed out for a whole day. Sam noticed and had to hold back the urge to chuckle at her friend's embarrassment.

"I think he means to say that he's feeling a lot better." Sam replied for her silent friend.

"When did he wake up?"

"A few minutes ago." Sam answered.

"Can he talk?" The doctor asked. Danny hadn't said a word the whole time.

"Yes, I can talk." He interrupted.

Both turned their heads over to Danny. He hated when people talked about him when he was sitting right there.

"Mr. Phantom…" The man started.

"My name's Danny, _Danny_ Phantom." He stated irritably. Why couldn't people just use his first name?

"Alright, _Danny _Phantom, what was the last thing you remember feeling?" The doctor continued.

"Really tired." Danny replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable having to answer questions. He always hated questions like these. It just made him take more of a risk in revealing his secret.

"What happened before you passed out?"

"Woke up, ate breakfast, then I just got really tired and my head hurt." Danny vaguely responded.

"Any allergies?"

"Nope."

"Anything else you'd like to elaborate on?"

"Nope." Danny smiled a small smile that said "I'm going to be stubborn."

"We'll be back shortly." The doctor walked out of the room.

"Sam, what if they figure it out?" Danny asked her once he was sure that the doctor was gone.

"Don't worry, Danny. They won't find out. I'll make sure of it."

"But what if…" Danny started worriedly.

"Danny, it's okay. I'll make sure that they won't find out. Although, we will have to make up a good excuse for the exhaustion." Sam told him.

Danny thought for awhile. "I've got nothing."

* * *

**Okay, I've hit writer's block and suggestions woud be very helpful. Only for the next chapter, I have the rest planned out.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Ghostanimals ****inspired me and her ideas helped me make this chapter**

* * *

When the doctor had come back, he brought in Danny's parents, Jazz, Tucker, and Valerie. Danny felt his stomach lurch at having so many people in the room, three of which, had previously hated him. Tucker and Jazz immediately ran over to his bed with shouts of "Danny" and "you're okay!" Valerie hung back slightly. She stayed behind the crowd around his bed. She wanted to see him, but it didn't seem right.

The Fenton's and the doctors cleared the way, positioning themselves by his bed. Danny looked up nervously.

"Th…thanks." He stuttered, averting their gaze. Looking at them would be too much right now.

"You're welcome." The doctor replied, slightly surprised by how well mannered this ghost boy was.

"Phan-Danny," Maddie started kindly.

Danny looked up and met her gaze, surprised by the way that she said his name; it was like when he was human.

"We've decided that, after you're out of here, you could spend the rest of the time left with the Grays' and finish up the rest of the program." Maddie informed him. "But first, it is crucial that you tell us the reason why you passed out like that. We have theories, but…" She trailed off.

Danny moved his eyes downward, straying them from his mother's. "I…I don't know." He lied.

"Phantom, you're a horrible liar." Jack told him.

Danny, his head tilted down, gave a small chuckle. His mouth lacked the words to speak.

"Danny." Maddie urged.

Danny looked as his friends pleadingly.

"Mom, just leave him alone. If he's not telling us something, it's for a good reason." Jazz insisted.

"Jasmine, this is important. We can't help if we don't know what's wrong." Maddie told her daughter.

"But Mom…" Danny's sister persisted.

"No buts, Jazz. Danny, could you please tell us what is wrong?" Maddie questioned once again, getting slightly irritated, but managing to maintain a moderate level of patience.

Suddenly, Danny's ghost sense went off. He gasped and frantically searched the room, attracting attention from the occupants.

"What was _that_?" Jack asked in puzzlement.

"Ghost sense." Danny answered simply, but the anxiety in his voice was far from hidden. He stood up completely, wobbling a little bit, before standing in his battle stance and letting his eyes dart across the small room, seeking the spectral intruder.

Everyone waited in silence, nervously watching the ghost teen. Suddenly, a figure sprung through the floor using intangibility and grabbed Danny. Danny screamed shortly in surprise. Skulker landed promptly on the floor, holding Danny by his neck, nearly choking him. The young ghost's hands were tugging at his captor's, desperately trying to free himself from the death grip.

"I told you, I _never_ give up." Skulker restated threateningly.

"And neither…will…I!" Danny choked out, freezing the mechanical hand that was wrapped tightly around Danny's neck.

The frozen metal shattered under the pressure. Danny fell to the floor, hand rubbing his neck and gasping for air.

"Being uncooperative, are we?" Skulker mocked. He moved toward the breathless teen.

"Yes, we are." Danny smirked.

He leaped up from his current position and tackled the larger ghost, phasing them out of the hospital and into a more open area. Everyone in the room dashed to the window, wanting to observe the fight. They all wore worried faces.

Outside, Danny had Skulker pinned to the ground. Danny formed icy clasps around the robot's wrists and ankles.

"Who's winning now?" Danny taunted.

"Still me." Skulker replied as he broke free of the icy restraints and reversed their positions so that now Danny was under Skulker.

Danny struggled under the massive weight. Skulker held him down with one hand while he formed the other into a glowing green blade. The mechanical ghost held the sharp knife up to Danny's throat, threatening to decapitate him.

"Looks like you give me no choice." Danny said warningly.

He took in a deep breath and let out a ghostly wail. The attack blew back his opponent. Danny stopped the short lasting screech and jolted back into standing position. He walked smoothly over to his fallen enemy.

"I win." He stated dramatically, but a slight tinge of darkness worked its way into his voice. Danny smirked and reached for his Fenton thermos, which he now realized wasn't there. He felt around unsuccessfully.

"Apparently not. See you next time, ghost child." Skulker hissed. He gave a triumphant grin and phased through the ground, disappearing.

Danny's body slumped and he sighed tiredly.

"_G__reat_. I screwed up _again_." He moaned as he slapped his hand to his face for his ignorance.

"Danny!" He heard a female voice scream.

He looked around to see Sam running to him. Behind her, trailed Tucker, Jazz, Valerie, Valerie's Dad, and Danny's parents.

"Sa-" He started, but was cut off when she leaped up to hug him happily.

"Danny, you're okay!" She said with relief.

Danny's body tensed under the surprise of the sudden hug.

"Uh, Sam? Hate to break up the moment, but everyone's kinda staring." Danny stated uncomfortably.

"Sorry." She apologized. She backed off, but still had a very un-Goth-like smile plastered on her face.

"Hey, dude. Glad to see you're alright." Tucker admitted cheerfully.

"Guys, it was only Skulker." Danny laughed. "It's not like I was facing Pariah again."

"Oh, you're _so_ funny." Sam commented sarcastically.

Now there's the Sam he knew and loved...Uhhh…As a friend.

"Danny!" Jazz screeched as she, too, ran and embraced him.

"Okay, I get it. Will everyone stop hugging me?" Danny said awkwardly.

Jazz backed off as well. "You know we just worry about you."

"You don't have to. You _know_ that I can take care of myself." He told her in assurance.

"Yeah, but that still won't stop us." Sam commented.

"What just happened?" Jack asked, him and Maddie finally arriving at the scene along with Damon.

"Skulker appeared to try to kill me…_again_." Danny moaned tiredly.

"And _how many_ times has this happened?" Maddie questioned.

Danny started counting on his fingers. He gave up deciding that it was impossible trying to figure how many times this had happened.

"Enough to lose count." He replied exasperatedly, letting his shoulders fall in defeat.

"Actually, Danny, it's been one hundred-twenty-three times as of now." Tucker corrected, checking his PDA.

"Really? I lost count after fifty six." Sam stated.

"I was too busy to keep count." Danny added in.

"One hundred-twenty-three?!" Maddie exclaimed. "How long has he been attacking?"

"Tucker?" Danny asked suggestively.

"About a year and a half." Tucker answered.

"How can you be so calm about this?" Maddie asked in amazement.

"What? Getting attacked constantly? I'm used to it by now." Danny replied, now realizing that getting attacked _that_ often wasn't as normal for other people as it was for him.

The Jack and Maddie stared dumbfounded. This kid must be seriously messed up if he thought like that.

"Are you feeling okay?" Maddie asked out of the blue.

"What? Why would you ask that?" Danny questioned in confusion. He felt fine.

"Danny, you just woke up from being unconscious for a whole day, then got attacked by a ghost, and_ then_ acted like it was totally normal that you get attacked numerous times during the week. At this point, you sound close to insane." Jazz informed him, laughing slightly toward the end.

"I am _not_ insane." Danny pouted.

Sam couldn't help but laugh. "Danny, think about what you just said."

Danny knew what she meant by that. She had meant the ordeal with his evil future self. Just the thought of the heartless ghost brought chills down his spine. Sam obviously noticed his discomfort at the thought.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…" She started apologizing.

"Never mind. I do have to admit though; you guys _do_ have a point." He admitted.

"Seriously, Danny, I'm surprised you haven't cracked up yet." Jazz told her little brother.

"Thanks, Jazz, that really means a lot to me." He retorted dryly.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Valerie cut in. She had been silent up until now, but curiosity had finally gotten her.

The four had completely forgotten about everyone else. They were too busy making fun of Danny.

"And what do you mean by you're 'surprised he hasn't cracked up yet?'"

Danny winced slightly as he realized that they were still there. That means that they heard everything they had just said.

"Uhhh…" Danny stuttered.

"What he means is…" Sam cut in, but found herself at a loss for words as well.

"You'd better let me tell them." Jazz advised.

"Jazz, what are you going to say?" Danny asked suspiciously.

"Stop worrying, I won't go _that_ far." She insisted, knowing what he meant.

Jazz turned to the rest of the group. "Well, the truth is that Danny has _way_ too much pressure on him. It's so much, in fact, that it's very unhealthy mentally and under all of the stress, we thought he'd snap by now. Danny's suffered through things that _no one_ should have to. How would you feel if you had to protect a whole city, get hurt by the ones you protect, have to deal with ghosts who's only intention is to make you miserable, fight for your life every day, have suddenly been captured and forced into strange houses, and about a million other things that he'd kill me for saying. I think that it's probably the reason he passed out in the first place." Jazz explained.

Everyone's eyes had turned from Jazz to the ghost boy, who was now looking down at the ground, attempting to avert from the stares that he knew he'd be receiving right about now.

"Danny, if that's true, why haven't you gone crazy yet?" Valerie broke the silence.

Danny took a deep breath and looked up with a small, almost sad, smile on his face. "I've had great friends. Without Sam, Tucker, and Jazz, I would've snapped a _long_ time ago."

Said friends looked really touched. They walked over by his side.

"Danny, we'll _always_ be there for you." Sam told him, Danny looking at her as she laid her hand softly on his shoulder.

"Yeah, dude. We got your back." Tucker added. Danny smiled as he turned to his techno-geek friend.

"Uhhh…this is really sweet and all, but we have received contact from the government that Danny Phantom has to go back to fulfill the remainder of his time at the Grays." A doctor who had come out to deliver the message informed them. "Although it is recommended that you keep a close eye on Mister Phantom and try to make sure nothing _else_ happens." He continued, directed at Valerie's Dad.

"Don't worry, I think that you can survive." Jazz comforted.

* * *

A little while later, the three had returned to Valerie's apartment. 

"Danny, can I talk to you for a minute?" Valerie asked.

Just the way she said it made Danny feel like she had figured out his secret or something.

"Sure." He replied uncertainly.

She led him into her bedroom, which was surprisingly bare. Apparently, she had taken down all of the bad newspapers and other "I hate Danny Phantom" stuff.

"I know that this is kinda weird, but when you…well, passed out, your hair sort of….flickered from white to black for a second." She began.

_Oh, no! She saw! She saw! She might've figured it out!_ Danny mentally screamed. His body tensed.

"Then…in the ambulance…I could've sworn that it did the same thing, but…everything changed that time." She continued.

At this point, Danny's anxiety was reaching critical levels.

"I…I don't know. It hasn't happened before." Danny lied with a stutter.

Fortunately, Valerie noticed Danny's discomfort and panic and decided to drop it, even though she _knew_ that he was lying. Either it had happened before and he knew why or it hadn't and he knew what it was…and it wasn't good.

"I guess that's it then." Valerie concluded. She walked out the door and Danny followed.

* * *

There was a loud knock on the door the next morning. Valerie's Dad went to answer it. Valerie pulled Danny aside. 

"Before you leave, I just wanted to a…a…apologize for how I acted at the beginning and everything I've ever done to you." She apologized. It sounded like the word burned her mouth.

"Thanks, Val. You have no idea how much that means to me." He told her.

"I also wanted to say that…if you can't find anywhere else…my Dad and I agreed that…that you could stay here….if you want." She stammered out.

"Thanks for the offer, but…I don't think that I could." He replied.

"Why?" She questioned.

"I don't want you to get hurt. That's one of the reasons that I hate this program. If I end up in a family, then my enemies will just see it as an advantage. Don't you get it? It's like I have to choose who I will endanger. That's why I've decided, if I can't find a way out of this, I'll have to live in the Ghost Zone. Trust me, I hate the place, but it's better than putting people in danger." Danny told her. Technically, it was only half true. Yes, assigning him another family would give the ghosts another opportunity at getting to him and probably hurting innocent people on the way. The decision part was almost fake. If he didn't find a way out of this, his human half would still live at home, but he'd have to make a few extra trips to the Ghost Zone and pull on a pretty good act for his ghost half.

"Alright Phantom, time to go." One of the guards cut in. The tall guard cuffed his hands back up and practically shoved him toward the door like a prisoner.

"Bye, Val, bye, Mr. Gray." He said almost sadly as he was taken away.

"Bye, Danny." Valerie whispered, knowing that he was already out of hearing range.

Outside, Danny was pushed back into the black car. He was preparing for his next little adventure. The drive began. About half of an hour later, they arrived at yet another brick house. This town seriously needed to make houses out of something other than brick. The place was huge. Danny knew this house all too well.

* * *

**Once again, review please. This one took a while because it was a lot longer than I usually write. I just couldn't find anywhere to end the chapter. I don't think I'll be able to put the next chapter up tomorrow. I will as soon as I can though.**


	19. Chapter 19

**About ten of you figured it out, but here it goes. Warning: Excessive amounts of fluff.**

* * *

Danny was slightly confused about why he was at this place, but smiled, glad that he was somewhere that the residents didn't want him dead. He and the tall guards made their way up the steps. The guard rang the doorbell. Hardly a moment later, Sam rushed to the door and swung it open.

"Danny!" She screamed as she ran to hug him.

"Sam!" He shouted in response.

"Miss, are your parents home?" The guard on Danny's left asked in a deep voice.

"No, but my grandma is." Sam replied innocently.

"Good enough." The guard sighed.

Sam dashed off and came back a few moments later with Grandma Manson by her side. Grandma Manson was an old woman with grey hair and rode around in a motor scooter.

"Do you accept the charge known as Danny Phantom?" he asked professionally.

"Yes." She replied simply.

Now Danny was really confused. He was kinda surprised that Tucker hadn't dressed up like Grandma Manson and come to the door (As I'm sure you all were suspecting).

"Let's get out of here." One of the guards said as he tossed the set of keys the two left Danny on the front step.

"Sam, what's going on?" Danny questioned once the guards were out of earshot.

"I was going to tell you back at the hospital, but I couldn't get you alone. While you were going through torture, we devised a plan. You could stay here for the next three days, while my parents are out of town, then, you can decide to stay here. One you're set, you can leave and you won't even have to worry about coming back, unless they come looking for you, that is." Sam explained.

"Sam, that's a great idea!" Danny exclaimed.

"Actually, my grandma thought of it." Sam admitted.

"What?" Danny asked in confusion.

"My grandma found out about the whole thing and she knew that you and I were friends, so she came up with this plan." Sam explained.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I lost my own taste for mischief." She commented.

"Uhhh…Thanks." Danny said with still a slight puzzlement in his voice.

"Come on, Danny, let's go downstairs." Sam insisted.

The two teens made their way to the stairs before they were stopped.

"Wait, aren't you two forgetting something?" She asked, dangling the keys.

"Oh, right." Sam said as she walked over and took the keys from her grandma, thanking her.

Sam walked back to Danny and unlocked the cuffs. Danny rubbed his wrists as they were removed. Sam and Danny then headed down the stairs. Well, Danny floated actually, but you get the point.

"Danny, you have to tell me everything that happened." Sam begged him.

Danny began the long story.

* * *

"Okay, Danny, we're gonna have to sleep down here. I'll join you." Sam, who was in a black pair of pajamas, told him as she tossed a sleeping bag to Danny and rolled out her own black sleeping bag. 

Danny rolled out his red sleeping bag a short distance away from hers. He just stood up when he was hit in the back with something.

"What the-" He exclaimed as he was hit once again.

Danny turned around to see Sam holding a pillow above her head, ready to strike. "Pillow fight!" She yelled, smacking him, yet again, with the pillow.

"If you insist." Danny agreed as he grabbed his own pillow, striking Sam.

Sam and Danny laughed. Sam rose the pillow for another blow. She swung it down when it went right through her friend.

"No fair!" She shouted.

"All's fair in love and war…and this is war." Danny commented, turning himself invisible with the last few words.

Sam searched around her blindly. She steadied herself, waiting for the impact. Suddenly, she made a swift knock behind her, striking a confused ghost boy. Danny fell out of the air, gaining visibility. He fell to the floor with a soft thud.

"Okay, you know me _too_ well." Danny admired.

"Get ready for impact, ghost boy!" Sam teased as she hit Danny with the pillow again.

"Oh, this means payback." Danny taunted. He leapt to his feet and slammed Sam with the pillow.

Danny got ready to strike again when a blue mist escaped his mouth, causing alarm.

"BEWARE! For I am the Box Ghost!" A familiar voice shouted as the teens turned to look at the pathetic blue ghost.

Danny and Sam looked at each other and smiled mischievously in some silent agreement. They turned back to the ghost, lifted their pillows, and beat down on the ghost.

"What? No! I am the Box Ghost! You shall fear me! Ow! Hey! Quit it! I'm out of here! BEWARE!" The ghost shouted as he was beat on viciously by the pillows held by the two teens.

Danny then turned to Sam, only to be hit in the face.

"So that's how you want to play it? Well bring it!" Danny challenged.

The two continuously hit each other with the pillows until they both fell to the floor, laughing.

"I don't know about you, but I think that was the best pillow fight ever." Sam laughed.

After their giggling fit had subsided, Danny yawned.

"We should probably get some sleep now." Danny suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Sam agreed.

Sam climbed into her sleeping bag and laid her head on the pillow. Danny climbed into his and changed back into his human self, which he was relieved to do.

"Night, Danny." Sam bid.

"Night, Sam." Danny responded.

With that, the two teens began to venture into the calm of sleep.

* * *

**I just realized, I actually made a _happy_ chapter for Danny. What's wrong with me?! Anyway, review please.**


	20. Chapter 20

**And the DxS continues. OMG, this is the second to last chapter!**

* * *

The next morning, Danny woke first. He slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted with the dim of the room. He felt a slight pressure on his chest, which peaked out of the sleeping bag. He looked up to discover that Sam had moved slightly and now her head was resting on him. She was smiling in her sleep and Danny couldn't help but smile too. He _definitely_ did not have a problem with this position. It was a little awkward, but he somehow found it pleasurable.

"I guess moving would wake her…so I'll just have to stay like this." He thought willingly. He laid his head back on the pillow and waited for her to wake up.

He remained like that for a few minutes until her sleeping figure began to stir. She yawned and sat up, Danny, a little regretfully, did the same. He changed into his ghost form and crawled out of his sleeping bag. Sam tiredly followed suit.

"Have a good sleep?" She asked him casually.

Danny's cheeks took on a pink tinge as he replied. "Yeah. You?"

"Same here." She agreed. "I'm going to get changed, I'll be right back."

A short time later, Sam had returned. She was dressed in her usual ensemble of black combat boots, purple leggings, black and green mini-skirt, black tank top that showed her midriff with a purple oval in the middle, along with her two black bracelets.

"Come on, we should probably have breakfast." She urged, leading Danny up the stairs.

She removed some cereal from the pantry and took out some milk from the refrigerator, along with some bowls and spoons from a cabinet. She made herself some before handing it to Danny. They sat down at the table as they ate. After a brief pause, Danny spoke.

"Sam, do you think that she _knows_?" Danny questioned.

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"Your grandma. Do you think that she knows?" Danny clarified.

"Danny, I know she seems a little strange sometimes, but I don't think that she knows about you. You're just being paranoid." Sam replied comfortingly.

"Don't I have a good reason to be?" He reasoned.

"Let's just drop it, okay? Besides, Tucker is coming over soon." Sam informed him.

"Great. Now I can get bombarded by him with questions." Danny joked.

Sam punched him playfully in the arm. Danny opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a mist exiting.

"Wow, they usually don't start attacking for _at least_ another ten minutes." Sam commented dryly.

Danny sighed and phased through the wall, emerging on the other side.

"Miss me?" An annoyingly familiar voice asked.

"Okay, this is the millionth time this week that you've attacked me. Can't you just leave me alone?!" Danny remarked irritably.

"Never." Skulker replied darkly.

"Well, then, looks like we have two options; you can willingly go back to the Ghost Zone or I can beat the crud out of you and shove you into the Fenton Thermos." Danny told the metallic ghost.

"Or option three; I can hunt you down and add you to my collection." Skulker added as he shot a large bazooka at Danny, who dodged easily.

"I guess it's option two." Danny groaned.

Skulker fired again, but Danny quickly froze the ball of energy and caught it. Danny hurdled it back at its creator. The frozen bullet of ghostly energy hit Skulker square in the chest, exploding on impact. When the smoke cleared, Skulker had a rather large hole in him with frayed wires sticking out. He looked down at the gap in anger.

"I'll get you for that." He claimed furiously.

"You mean _after_ you get back out of the thermos." Danny said triumphantly as he let loose the beam of light and dragged the ghost into the cylindrical containment device.

Danny flew back into Sam's house and found her and Tucker waiting for him.

"Hi Tuck. You better make the Skulker attack count one-hundred-twenty-four." Danny moaned tiredly.

"Nice to see you too." Tucker greeted sarcastically.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Sam asked.

"Video games?" Tucker suggested.

"Any other suggestions?" Sam inquired. "Danny?"

"Prank Vlad?" Danny suggested.

"Didn't you learn your lesson the last time?" Sam asked in annoyance.

"Nope." Danny answered happily.

"I second pranking Vlad!" Tucker motioned.

"This is a bad idea." The Goth girl warned.

"Oh, come on. He deserves it after what he did to me." Danny urged.

"Fine." Sam gave in.

The two boys cheered.

* * *

"Was that great or what?" Danny laughed. 

"I know! It was so totally worth it." Tucker agreed, also laughing.

"Okay, I'll admit, that _was_ funny." Sam agreed as well. She couldn't help but let a smile find its way onto her lips and joining on their laughter.

"I can't believe that Vlad _actually_ got a cat!" Danny roared in amusement.

"And when you overshadowed his cat, that was priceless!" Tucker bellowed.

"Well, we still have a few hours left. Want to go downstairs and watch a few movies?" Sam suggested.

"Sure." The boys agreed.

The trio headed downstairs and began to watch a movie.

* * *

When the movie ended, it was late. 

Tucker yawned and stretched. "I guess I better go now, don't want to miss curfew.

Then, the African American boy glanced over at his two friends, who were already fast asleep. The two began to unknowingly shift positions on the couch. Now Sam's head rested on Danny's shoulder and his head was placed on top of hers. His white hair created contrast with her black. They were sitting close together and Sam's hand lay on top of Danny's. They both had smiles gracing their sleeping faces. Something about Sam and Phantom together seemed so perfect. If you though Danny _Fenton_ and Sam together were cute, Danny _Phantom_ and Sam seemed just a little bit more adorable.

"Oh, this is too good." Tucker giggled. He slowly stood up so he wouldn't disturb them. He took out his prized PDA and snapped a picture of the two. He laughed quietly to himself, trying to muffle it with his free hand. "Perfect."

Tucker snuck away and left his two friends. He left for home, happy as ever. Let's see them deny it _now_. He had the perfect blackmail. Sure, it was Sam and Danny _Phantom_, but Photo Shop could be very useful. Then, he'd have two pictures.

Back at the Manson mansion (ever notice how weird that is? It's only a one letter difference), the two teens remained in slumber. They didn't even notice a certain Grandma Manson check on the two teens, nor did they hear the quiet laughing that came afterward.

* * *

**Twenty down, one to go.**


	21. Chapter 21

**It's sad, this is the last chapter. : (**

* * *

Sam woke up first the next morning. She almost jumped when she realized that she had been sleeping on Danny. Her face turned bright red. She really hoped he didn't notice. Carefully, she moved, laying his head on the couch. She looked around.

"Tucker must have left after we fell asleep." He assumed. "Okay, I _really_ hope _Tucker_ didn't see that. If he did, we'll never hear the end of it."

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by a soft yawn, indicating that Danny was waking up.

"Hi Sam. Did I fall asleep last night?" he asked her curiously, noting that he had woken up on the couch.

"Yeah, we both did. I think Tucker left after he noticed we weren't awake." Sam informed.

"Okay." He yawned. Apparently, he didn't know that they had fallen asleep together last night…yet.

Sam's phone began to ring. She looked at the caller ID.

"Tucker." She noted.

"Hey, Sam. You both there?" came Tucker's voice from the other end.

"Yeah. What happened last night?" Sam questioned.

"Well, the movie ended, you two fell asleep, and I left. By the way, you might want to check your e-mail." Tucker replied. He laughed and hung up.

"What was that all about?" The ghost boy asked his Goth friend.

"He told me to check my e-mail." Sam replied in confusion.

"Okay, now we _know_ he's up to something." Danny stated.

Sam crept up the stairs with Danny in tow, already having a feeling of what was waiting for her. She jumped onto her computer in anxiety. There was one new message waiting for her. Nervously, she clicked the button, suddenly wishing she hadn't.

On the screen was a picture of Danny and Sam sleeping on each other, although it could be confused for just snuggling. Either way, it was enough to make the two turn away from the screen, look in opposite directions, and blush madly. Sam quickly closed the computer window. Neither one could say a word.

"Ummm…I think it's breakfast time." Sam spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

"Actually, I think it's payback time." Danny suggested with a devious smile.

Sam instantly caught on. She flashed him the same smile in return. Sam quickly grabbed a video camera and Danny grabbed her by the waist (which caused her to stare at his hand and blush a little), lifting them up through the roof, and flying toward Tucker's. Danny landed them invisibly in his room, where the techno geek was on his computer.

"Boo!" Danny shouted, grabbing tucker and making himself and Sam visible.

"Ahhh!" tucker screamed in surprise. Then, he realized that it was his two best friends. "Uhhh…Hi guys." He said nervously. He knew he was trouble.

Danny smirked and overshadowed his best friend, causing Tucker's eyes to glow green. Sam turned on the video camera and began recording.

"Hi, I'm Tucker Foley. Today, I will be performing a piece of ballet." Danny said through Tucker, now wearing a pink tutu

Danny began performing a series of twirls and jumps before curtsying at the end. Sam stopped recording and Danny jumped out of Tucker. Tucker rubbed his head for a moment.

"No fair." He claimed irritably.

"Oh, it's plenty fair." Sam told her techno-geek friend, showing him the video. "That'll teach you to blackmail us."

"It was _just_ a joke!" Tucker shouted as his friends exited his room via phasing through the wall.

They arrived back in Sam's room moments later, laughing like crazy with the video camera in hand.

"Ahhh, the advantages of ghost powers." Danny sighed happily.

They were interrupted by a loud banging.

"Samantha, we're home!" Sam's Mom called.

"What?! They were supposed to be gone for three more days!" Sam fretted.

"What are we going to do?!" Danny whispered in panic.

"You turn invisible and stay here. I'll be right back." Sam ordered him, rushing out her door.

The Goth arrived in the main hall, where her parents were standing.

"Mom, Dad, you're home early." She said, straining her voice to make it sound like nothing was wrong.

"Yes, our business meeting got cancelled. The nerve of those people." Her mother angrily commented.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll just be going back up to my room now." She said dismissively, forging an innocent smile and backing away. She darted up the stairs as soon as she was out of sight.

"Danny, we have a problem." She blurted out as she practically fell into her room.

Danny made himself visible. "I think we've established that already."

"Okay, my parents are home early, they don't know about you, and somehow we have to find a way for you to be declared as part of this family without them knowing." Sam summarized in worry.

Danny seemed to be thinking. "I have an idea."

* * *

Danny had been gone the rest of that day and decided to sleep in the abandoned park at night in a corner where no one would see him. Just to make sure, he resumed human form. 

The next morning, Danny woke up early and flew down to Sam's to put their plan into action. He flew into her room where she waited for him. They watched out the window as the black car grew near.

"Okay, Danny, I've let my grandma in on the plan, so it's time to put phase one into action."

Danny nodded with determination etched on his face. He split himself into three and the two copies phased through the floor and disappeared from sight.

"Okay, now your duplicates should have overshadowed my parents by now, so I think it's safe for us to go downstairs." Sam assumed.

The two teens left the room and walked down the stairs just in time for the doorbell to ring. The overshadowed parents went to open it to reveal the two black clad guards.

"We are here for Phantom." They said in a professional tone that sounded none too nice.

"Yes, I believe he's right here." The overshadowed mother answered. "Danny!"

"That's our cue." Danny whispered.

Him and Sam came out of their hiding spot and walked to the front door.

"Come on Phantom. We are to report back to headquarters so that you may report your decision." The man ushered, grabbing Danny and closing the door.

Danny quickly recalled the doubles as the door shut. The parents came out of their trance, having no clue what had happened. Sam smiled; the plan had worked. But it wasn't over yet.

* * *

Epilogue 

Danny had gone to the government, told them his decision, and was signed over to the Mansons. Sam's grandma had kept the certificate. After Danny had been returned to Sam's house, he was set free. Danny returned to his own house where his parents were waiting to ask him all about the "camping trip." After that, everything pretty much fell back to normal. The government agents would show up every once in a while to check up on them and Danny would pull the same overshadowing trick. A few people had asked where he ended up, but he vowed to never tell. The ghosts paid no attention to the Manson family, just the usual kidnapping of Sam. His life was back on track…as much as it could, anyway.

* * *

**Hope you liked the ending, it was a little rushed. After this, I'll start on my next fanfic. Just look for Power Failure. It's another before PP one. I seriously doubt it will make it to 21 chapters. After that, i have some ones that take place after PP that I'll write.**


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